This is a fantastic weekday slice of Italy. It’s worth cooking the full amount as it heats up beautifully the next day for lunch and/or freezes well (that includes the polenta).  I’ve always been slightly nervous about cooking polenta, but the express version means that you don’t spend 30 minutes stirring it  - it takes just 5 minutes. The stock adds extra flavour as do the dried mushrooms  (they're important!) but you could have fun adding other herbs or spices to it.  You’ll need a small baking tray/container roughly 20 cm square and some greaseproof paper. A griddle pan would be ideal, but a frying pan works well. It works  particularly  well  with smoked (vegan) cheese.

For the polenta:

150g Express Polenta (Polenta Valsugana do it)

400 ml vegetable stock

10g dried mushrooms (ideally porcini), blitzed in a blender

600 ml water

Salt and pepper

1 teasp Aleppo chilli flakes

Oil to fry 

For the mushroom sauce:

600g small chestnut mushrooms, halved

1 onion, very finely chopped

1 carrot, very finely chopped

2 celery sticks, very finely chopped

25g parsley,  chopped. Separate the leaves and stalks

1 tbsp snipped chives

2 bay leaves

2 teasp lemon thyme leaves

125ml white wine

400g tinned chopped plum or cherry tomatoes

Salt and pepper

To serve:

Grated cheese and parsley leaves 

• To make the polenta, line a 20cm square baking tray/container with greaseproof paper. Soak the blitzed dried mushrooms for 15 minutes in the vegetable stock. Then heat the stock and water in  a small saucepan until boiling, season very well and add the chilli flakes, then pour in the polenta, stirring continuously for 5 minutes until thick. Check the seasoning then pour the polenta into the lined tray/container and pop in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set.

• Meanwhile, make the sauce by heating 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan or wok and fry the mushrooms for 10-12  minutes over a high heat  until soft. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and season well. Add two more tablespoons of oil to the pan and cook the onion, carrots and celery along with the parsley stalks, chives, thyme leaves. Cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until really soft but not coloured. Season well.

• Deglaze the pan with the wine and let bubble for 1 minute, then return the mushrooms, along with the tinned tomatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes with the lid slightly ajar, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. Remove the bay leaves. Check the seasoning and keep warm.

• When the sauce is ready, remove the polenta from the fridge. Cut into 8 pieces, then heat a griddle/frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil until smoking, then fry the polenta for 4-5 minutes on each side until crisp and golden.

• Serve immediately with grated cheese and the parsley leaves