Polenta and Couscous

From Roxanne's Natural Kitchen:

Pan-fried Polenta with Fresh Tomato sauce and Israeli Couscous

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! I've been so busy the past couple months I've hardly had time to post. I've decided though that this year I'm going to make it a point to post a new recipe at least once a week, so that's pretty exciting - but now, on to food!

Oh I love this meal - it's inexpensive, very filling and delicious! Soft, herbed polenta cubes are lightly pan-fried in olive oil then topped with a slightly spicy, fresh tomato sauce, red peppers, mushrooms and tender israeli couscous. The polenta needs to harden before you can saute it, so you can either make it a few hours before you plan on serving and chill it until it firms up, or make it the day before and have it all ready for when you want to make this.

Pan-fried Polenta with Fresh Tomato sauce and Israeli Couscous

For the Polenta:

• 1 cup Cornmeal
• 3 cups Water
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• ½ tsp Basil
• ½ tsp Oregano
• ½ tsp Rosemary

For the rest:

• 1 cup uncooked Israeli couscous
• 3 tbsp Olive oil, divided
• 1 cup diced Onion
• 5 large Garlic cloves, pressed
• ¼ tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp Sea Salt, plus more to taste, if desired
• ½ tsp Red chili flakes
• ¼ tsp Paprika
• ¾ cup diced Red pepper
• 1 cup sliced Mushrooms
• 3 Roma Tomatoes, diced (1 ¾ cups)

-Make the Polenta: First, lightly oil an 8 inch square baking pan and set aside. Bring the Water, salt and herbs to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, and cook, stirring continuously until mixture is thick and starts spitting cornmeal all over the place. About 1-2 minutes. Immediately pour into prepared pan and smooth the top. Let cool for a couple hours in the fridge until firm. When you are ready to eat, unmold the polenta from the pan and cut it into small cubes. Set aside.

-Make the couscous and sauce: Boil the israeli couscous according to the directions on the bag and set aside.

-Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once hot, fry the onions, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, pepper, salt, chili flakes and paprika and cook and stir for another minute. Next add red peppers and mushrooms and cook an additional 2 minutes.

-Finally, add tomatoes and bring to a lively simmer. Cook for 3 more minutes, until the tomatoes have released their juices and it's turned into a sauce. Add the cooked couscous and mix well to combine. Set aside for now.

-In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 ½ tbsp of olive oil over medium heat and fry the polenta cubes until heated through, about 6 minutes.

-To serve, place the polenta on a large serving platter and pour the sauce over it (see photo). Serve hot