Corn bread with leeks and feta recipe

This, an idea from northern Greece, is called a bread though in fact it’s more of a pie or ‘bake’. I have added roasted corn – I like the toasty sweetness – but you can leave it out (they don’t add corn kernels in Greece). It’s lovely with slow-roast tomatoes or roast red peppers and yogurt with chopped dill or mint stirred through it. It’s a very good brunch dish.

Timings

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Serves

Six to eight

Ingredients

• 800g leeks

• 25g butter

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing

• 2 corn cobs

• 175g polenta

• 450g feta, crumbled

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/170C fan/gas mark 4.

2. Remove the coarser outer leaves from the leeks and cut off the dark-green tops and the base. Slice the leeks into rounds and wash thoroughly.

3. Put the leeks into a pan with 10g of the butter and half the olive oil, and season. Cook on a low-medium heat for 5 minutes then add a splash of water and cover the pan.

4. Cook for 15 minutes, until the leeks are soft. Make sure the pan doesn’t get dry – the leeks can ‘catch’ on the bottom. If the mixture is very wet at the end of the cooking time, remove the lid, turn up the heat and reduce the moisture.

5. Hold each cob with one end in a small roasting tin. Using a sharp knife, slice the kernels off by removing them in strips, working from top to bottom and turning the cob around.

6. Leave the kernels in the roasting tin, season and add the remaining olive oil. Roast until the kernels are toasted (it usually takes 15 minutes but keep an eye on them). Leave to cool.

7. Put 250ml of boiling water into a large bowl. Slowly pour in the polenta, stirring all the time. Leave to cool just a little, then stir in the other ingredients (except for the remaining butter), and season.

8. Brush the insides of a baking tin or ovenproof dish – measuring 30 x 40cm (or as near to that as possible) – with olive oil. Pour in the batter. Bake for 40 minutes. Melt the remaining butter and brush this over the top, then put it back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes.

9. Leave to cool slightly. Cut into squares as you want to serve it.