Roasted Fennel, Mushrooms & Leeks with Grits

I really try my best to not repeat things for dinner. Granted sometimes, most times, I do. But let’s be honest that wouldn’t make for a very interesting blog so I mixed things up with some grits, mainly because I didn’t have the quick cooking polenta that this recipe called for so I combined it with the grits recipe that I made this summer. I think it turned out pretty tasty.

I thought the roasted fennel would be the star of this dish - don’t get me wrong I loved it - but what really did it for me were the roasted mushrooms. Y U M. They seemed to get a deeper flavor by roasting them in the oven than what I get when I make them on the stove top, which only means one thing - we’ll be eating a lot more roasted mushrooms in our house. Plus, you can really just love ’em & leave ’em in the oven while you do other stuff - & that is one thing I can get used to.

Happy Friday! Have the best weekend :)
Ingredients:
For the veggies:

• 3 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 2 fennel bulbs—halved lengthwise, cored & thinly sliced (I didn’t slice mine thin enough & will definitely do this for the next time)
• 1 mushrooms (I used a combo of oyster & baby portobello mushrooms), thinly sliced
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated + extra for serving

For the grits

• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1½ cups water
• 1 cup whole milk
• ¾ cup grits (not instant) - or coarse ground cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoons thyme leaves, minced or just pull the leaves off the woody stem - that worked for me

Make it!

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. In a large mixing bowl drizzle the veggies with olive oil & season with salt & pepper. Toss with your hands to coat.
3. Spread the veggies out on two baking sheets. Be sure not to over crowd the veggies on the pan. You want them to roast not steam & if there isn’t enough space between them they’ll steam.
4. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the veggies.
5. Roast for about 40-50 minutes, until the vegetables are tender & browned in spots.
6. Meanwhile, bring broth, milk, & 1½ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
7. Reduce heat so liquid is at a simmer and gradually whisk in grits.
8. Simmer, whisking often, until grits are very tender, 20–25 minutes.
9. Mix in butter & thyme; season with salt and pepper.
10. Serve the grits in bowls & top with the veggies & a dusting of grated cheese.