February 2024 - Jason's Vegan King Oyster Mushrooms with Polenta, Spinach and Lentils
Serves 2
Ingredients
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
175ml Vegetable Stock or Water
50g Ground Polenta
3 x Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
1 x Tin Tomatoes, chopped
1 x Red Onion, diced
1 x Bag Baby Spinach, washed
50g Green Speckled Lentils
3 x King Oyster Mushrooms, halved down their length and scored
Method
Bring the vegetable stock to a rolling boil with a good pinch of salt and two tablespoons of olive oil
Slowly add the ground polenta to the pan while stirring with a wooden spoon. As soon as all the polenta is absorbed into the water and is very thick, turn the heat down very low and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off, cover the pan and leave to stand for a further 5 minutes
Line a small tray with cling film and evenly spread the polenta mix, leaving as smooth a finish as you can, then cover with cling film and leave to cool, then refrigerate
Once cold and set, cut 6 shapes of your choice out (hearts are ideal for Valentine’s day) and reserve until ready to cook the mushrooms. Steps 1 to 3 can be done ahead of time, even a couple of days prior
Rinse the lentils, then add to a pan with 150ml water and a pinch of salt, then bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down to a low simmer for 25 to 30 minutes
Meanwhile, on a very low heat, gently infuse the garlic into 3 tablespoons of oil in a small saucepan, then add the tin of tomatoes, stirring occasionally while simmering for 25 minutes. This will make more sauce than needed for this dish, but is perfect as a basic pasta sauce for another day
While the lentils are cooking and the sauce is simmering, heat a large, deep pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and gently sauté the red onion until soft
Bring a large sauté pan with a generous slug of olive oil to a medium high heat and fry the mushrooms and polenta for 2 to 3 minutes on each side
Meanwhile, when the lentils are cooked, strain in a colander and quickly add to the sautéed red onion before stirring in the spinach and checking for seasoning when all ingredients are well incorporated
Check the flavour of the sauce and season if necessary, then ensure all components of the dish are piping hot
Present on 2 plates with 3 separate groupings of sauce, lentils, polenta and mushroom and serve immediately
Enjoy!
