Roasted Mushroom and Tomato with Polenta

Streamlined and adapted from NYTCooking

Ingredients

Serves 4

Sichuan oil

8 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used avocado oil)

1 cinnamon stick (or ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon)

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly crushed in a mortar and pestle (or ¼ teaspoon ground cumin)

½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, lightly crushed (or ¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper)

Mushrooms

12 oz / 340 gr cherry (or grape) tomatoes 

4 shallots (or 2 small onions), sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 lb / 453 gr mushrooms (any combination oyster, portobello, trumpet, baby bella or white button), cut into ¼-inch slices

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley) for garnish 

Polenta

1 ¼ cups / 170 gr quick cooking polenta

4 ¼ cups water

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C) and place a rack in the middle.

To make the Sichuan oil, heat 4 tablespoons of oil and cinnamon in a small pan over medium heat. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes until the oil is hot and the cinnamon stick is bubbling (if you don’t have the cinnamon stick, skip this part and add ground cinnamon along with the other spices).

Add ginger, red pepper flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, and cumin and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from heat and leave to marinate.

In a bowl mix tomatoes with shallots slices and 1 tablespoon of oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Spread on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until charred. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In another bowl, toss the mushrooms with remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt and spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, along with the tomatoes, turning halfway through, until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside.

To make polenta, bring 4 ¼ cups of water to a boil over high heat. Add salt and add polenta while whisking constantly to avoid any clumps. Turn the heat down to low and cook for further 2 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and allow to sit for a few minutes.

To serve, pour the polenta onto a platter, top with tomatoes and mushrooms, sprinkle with cilantro (or parsley) and serve.