Griddled polenta and ratatouille stack

Name: Griddled polenta and ratatouille stack
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra to grease and drizzle; 1 red onion, finely chopped; 2 courgettes (about 400g/14oz), finely diced; 1 aubergine, finely diced; 1 green pepper, finely diced; 1 g large garlic clove, finely chopped; 2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes; Large pinch sugar; 750 mL (1¼ pint) strong vegetable stock; 175 g (6oz) instant dry polenta; 75 g (3oz) mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated; 4 eggs; Large handful fresh basil leaves, torn

The smokiness of griddled polenta gives this dish depth, but if meat eaters really can’t go without, fry a little bacon or chorizo to add to their portion.

By The Good Housekeeping Cookery TeamPublished: 12 March 2013

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Yields:

Prep Time:

30 mins

Cook Time:

55 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 25 mins

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus extra to grease and drizzle
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 courgettes (about 400g/14oz), finely diced
1 aubergine, finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced
1 g large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
Large pinch sugar
750 ml (1¼ pint) strong vegetable stock
175 g (6oz) instant dry polenta
75 g (3oz) mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated
4 eggs
Large handful fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions

1. Step 1
  Heat oil in a large pan; gently fry onion for 10min until soft. Turn heat up to medium and add courgettes, aubergine and pepper; fry for 8-10min until lightly coloured. Stir in garlic, tomatoes and sugar; simmer for 10-15min until thick and pulpy.
2. Step 2
  Meanwhile, line a rough 22cm x 30.5cm (8.5in x 12in) baking tray with baking parchment. Put stock in a large pan, bring to boil; stir in polenta. Simmer hard for 5min, stirring continuously (take care - it may bubble volcanically!), until mixture thickens. Stir in cheese and lots of seasoning, then tip mixture on to prepared tray; spread to edges to make an even 1cm (½in) thick layer. Leave to cool for 10min until set.
3. Step 3
  Cut polenta into 12 equal squares. Grease a griddle pan really well; heat over high heat until smoking hot. Add polenta squares; fry for 4min, until griddle lines appear, then flip and cook for a further 4min on reverse (cook in batches, greasing pan well each time).
4. Step 4
  Meanwhile, bring a medium pan of water to the boil. Crack an egg into a coffee cup or ramekin. Swirl water to create a whirlpool', then carefully tip in the egg. Crack another egg into the cup and add to the water. Simmer eggs for 3-4min until whites are set and yolk remains soft (lift egg out with a slotted spoon and gently prod with your finger to check). Transfer cooked eggs to a shallow dish of warm water. Repeat with remaining eggs.
5. Step 5
  Stir basil into ratatouille; season to taste. To assemble each serving, layer up three polenta squares with ratatouille between them, then top with a poached egg. Drizzle over a little olive oil and sprinkle with plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a crisp green salad.

Per Serving:

Calories: 427
Total carbs: 46 g
Sugars: 12 g
Total fat: 18 g
Saturated fat: 6 g

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The Good Housekeeping Cookery Team

An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).

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