Cornmeal, Smoke Sausage, Herbs and Cherry Tomato Brunch Bake
This is a recipe I whipped up for a Taste Safari team working brunch one morning – it went down a treat! I cooked it again during the shoot we did for Ololo House – it was such a pleasure to create this rustic dish outdoors where it belongs, and I think it would make a great ‘glamping’ recipe for those of you who like to rough it in style!
- 2 cups finely ground Grade 1 polenta
- 2 1/2 cups boiling water
- 2 tbs butter
- 1 tsp finely chopped garlic chive (or 1/2 tsp normal garlic)
- 1 tsp Cajun spice powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Smoked sausages (or normal pork sausages if you prefer)
- 1/2 punnet baby cherry tomatoes, chopped in quarters
- 1 red pepper, chopped into small cubes
- 1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 1 cup finely grated cheese
- Salt and black pepper for seasoning
On medium heat, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan.
Add the polenta, stirring through the butter. Add the boiling water, and with a wire whisk, quickly start whipping the mixture to remove any lumps. Add a touch more water if the mixture become too thick to whisk. You want a thick, heavy consistency, but it should still be able to bubble–a bit like lava!
Keep the heat to a medium low and let this cook for 5-7 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, the Cajun spice and the dried oregano. Season with salt and black pepper.
Grease a small baking tray with olive oil. (I used my 27″ x 18″ pan.)
Spoon the cornmeal mixture into the tin and push out to the edges. You should have quite a thick consistency. Set aside.
Now half cook the sausages by shallow frying them lightly in some oil. It’s important to leave them half-cooked, as they will finish cooking in the oven. Cut in half lengthwise and chop into small pieces.
Top up with chopped cherry tomatoes, parsley and spring onions and the red pepper. Finally, add the cheese and bake in the hot oven for 25 minutes or until the top is a golden brown. Slice and serve up with some good HP sauce and a steaming mug of tea!
