I had intended for this blog to focus on baking, but I made a wonderful dinner the other night that I just have to share. I can't take the credit for coming up with it-I got the recipes from The Great Vegetarian Cookbook by Rosamond Richardson. There's so real keepers in this book, but you have to convert all of the measurements, so it can be a little bit frustrating!

I thought I'd share the recipes with you and moving forward, I will probably share more! Enjoy!

Lemon Broccoli
1 1/4 lb broccoli florets
1 egg
the juice of 1 lemon
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Trim the broccoli florets and steam them until tender--about 5-6 mins. Keep them warm and reserve the liquid.
Beat the egg with the lemon juice (I'd suggest using a little less than called for as it was REALLY lemony) and put into the blender. With the machine running, slowly pour in about 1 cup of the hot cooking liquid in a thin stream.
Pour into a heavy-based saucepan and stir constantly over med. heat, until the sauce thickens. Be careful not to let it come to a boiling point, otherwise it will curddle (yuck!).
Remove from the heat, season to taste with salt and pepper and leave to settle for 10-15 mins. then spoon over the warm broccoli and serve.

Grilled Polenta with Cheese, Mushrooms & Roasted Garlic
For the Polenta
1 cup of maize meal
3 cups of vegetable stock
1 tsp cumin
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp chili powder
sea salt
1 Tbsp butter (optional)
2 oz Cheddar cheese, cut into slivers

For the Roasted Garlic
1 whole head of garlic, skins on
Olive oil to brush
Dried thyme and rosemary, to sprinkle
salt and pepper

For the Mushroom Garnish
8 oz of large flat mushrooms, sliced (you could use portabella; I just used criminis)
olive oil

First cook the polenta. Put the maize meal into a saucepan and pour on the stock, stiring until it becomes smooth. Bring to the boil and simmer very gently for 10 mins, stirring frequently until cooked.
Add the spices and garlic, season to taste with salt and beat in the butter (I didn't use any and it was still great!). Pour into a small rectangular dish, smooth down the top and leave to cool. You can leave this overnight if you wish (I just stuck it in the fridge while I prepared the rest).
Meanwhile, roast the garlic. Cut off the pointed ends, but leave the skins on. Brush with olive oil and place in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with the herbs, salt & pepper. Bake for 40 mins at 350F, or until soft (it's a good idea to mix them halfway through). Leave to cool slightly, then squeeze out of the skins.
Now grill the mushrooms. Brush them liberally with olive oil and set under a hot grill for a few minutes until cooked on both sides (ok, I don't have a hot grill, so I just sauteed them in oil in a cast iron skillet and they came out great!).
Cover the cold polenta with the slivers of cheese and cut into 4 squares (it's actually easier to cut them, take them out and THEN put the cheese on top). Lift them out of the dish and set under the pre-heated grill for a few minutes (instead you can nuke them for 1 minute or put them in the already warm oven untilt he cheese melts).
Garnish the cheesey polenta squares with roasted garlic and mushrooms and serve.
Makes 4 squares.

Lemon Snow
1 cup of sour cream or creme fraiche (I used sour cream)
8 tsp sugar
the grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
2 egg whites, beaten until stiff

Beat the sour cream with the sugar until thick. Fold in the finely grated lemon rind with the lemon juice. Carefully fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites--as for a souffle. Turn into a glass dish and chill for 2-3 hours (I only chilled for 90 minutes). Eat the same day, because if left for longer, it will separate (mine did separate any way, but if you just stick a spoon in it and stir it around, it's fine!).