Rosemary, Polenta and Olive Oil Biscuits

At this time of year no-one wants to spend too much time in the kitchen but it's well worth the few minutes it takes to rustle up these incredibly easy and delicious home-made biscuits from food writer Xanthe Clay's lovely book The Contented Cook - perfect, she says, with ice cream or with raspberries and cream

Xanthe says they take well to other flavourings too. "Try a teaspoonful of lavender flowers, the grated zest of lemon and orange, a teaspoonful of crushed fennel seed, or ½ teaspoonful of ground cardamom seeds."

Makes 8–12

150g flour

30g fine polenta

60g caster sugar

Pinch of salt

Leaves from 3 x 10cm rosemary sprigs

90ml light olive oil (not extra virgin)

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Chop the leaves of the rosemary finely, then stir them with the oil into the mixture. Pat into a round about 0.5cm thick on a baking tray (no need to grease it, although a sheet of greaseproof paper is a good idea, as much to protect the biscuits from over-heating as anything), or use a 20cm round loose-bottomed cake tin. Mark into squares or segments with a knife. Chill for an hour in the fridge, then bake for about 40 minutes at 150°C/gas mark 2 until very lightly coloured. Leave for five minutes or so on the tray (or in the tin) then lift on to a rack to finish cooling.

From The Contented Cook by Xanthe Clay. Published by Kyle Books, priced £19.99. Photography: Tara Fisher

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