Roasted vegetables with creamy polenta

This meal feels perfect during the coronavirus quarantine. Made from pantry staples and fresh vegetables that keep well for weeks, this simple dish is full of flavor and deeply satisfying.

I use pre-cooked polenta, that comes packaged in a tube form. Mainly because I'm lazy, but also because I love to cut the polenta into thick slices and fry it for other meals. For this meal, I made the polenta, roasted the veggies, and stewed the the sweet peppers in a tomato sauce. A bit longer to prepare, but worth it. The stewed peppers are also a nice addition to an antipasto board served with brushetta.
For a quicker meal, skip the stewing step, and roast the peppers with the other vegetables before topping off with your favorite tomato sauce.

• 1 pkg precooked polenta
• cream, butter, and salt and pepper to taste
• 1 zucchini
• 1 large carrot
• 6 large white mushrooms
• 1 small red onion
• 6 small sweet bell peppers, red and yellow
• Olive oil
• Seasoning salt

Optional - if you choose to stew the peppers instead of roasting:

• Olive oil
• 4 anchovies
• 1 large sweet onion
• kalamata olives, pitted, and capers in brine
• 1 can roasted tomatoes
• salt

Prepare the polenta according to package directions. I break mine up into chunks in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, mashing and adding cream and butter until it is the consistency that I like. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chop up vegetables, except the peppers if you opt to stew them, and toss with olive oil and seasoning salt. Roast at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

To prepare stewed peppers: Heat the olive oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the anchovies. Cook and stir until they dissolve into the oil, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onions, and cook until they begin to wilt, about 4 minutes.

Add the peppers, and season with the salt. Add the olives, capers, and red pepper flakes, and get everything sizzling; then add the tomatoes, slosh out the can with 1 cup water, and add that to the pan. Cover, and cook until the peppers begin to droop, about 10 minutes.

Uncover, and cook until the peppers and onions are tender and the sauce is thick and flavorful, about 10 to 15 minutes more.

To serve: spoon polenta onto plate, top with vegetables and grated parmesan or asiago cheese.