Description
These grilled polenta cakes are a great base for so many toppings; spicy prawns, steak, tomatoes, cheese. They are so easy to make, involve little active time, and are a hit with family and friends.
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
- 1 cup yellow polenta (160 grams)
- 2 ounces parmesan cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
MAKING POLENTA
- Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside. See notes below for one of our favorite methods of lining pans with parchment.
- Heat chicken stock in a large pot until boiling.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and slowly add the yellow polenta cornmeal to the boiling stock while whisking. Continue whisking until combined. Reduce heat to medium and continue whisking until mixture thickens, 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese, salt, and a small dash of pepper. Stir until mixed thoroughly and cheese is melted.
- Add the butter and stir until melted and combined.
- Pour into the lined baking dish and gently smooth out the polenta to an even thickness. This should be about an inch thick.
- Place in the refrigerator until chilled, at least 4 hours, but longer is even better. You want this chilled all the way through to help the polenta cakes hold together when cutting and frying. If chilling overnight, lightly cover the dish.
CUTTING AND GRILLING POLENTA
- Once the polenta is chilled, remove from the refrigerator. Gently lift the polenta out of the pan using the parchment paper and place on a cutting board.
- Cut the polenta into bite sized pieces with a round cutter (we like the 1 1/4 inch size). This can also be cut into squares, just make sure they are small, bite sized squares.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the olive oil. Add the polenta cakes to the skillet. Leave enough room to flip the polenta cakes over.
- Cook the polenta cakes for 2-3 minutes or until they're golden brown. Flip the polenta cakes and grill the other side.
- Once both sides are crispy and brown, remove them from the skillet. Continue grilling any remaining polenta cakes.
- Top with your favorite toppings and serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Reheat in a 400 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 4-8 minutes or until warm.
Notes
Polenta vs. Cornmeal. Polenta is the name of the dish and not actually the name of the ingredient! Here in the U.S. we make polenta with corn and not mixed grains like they do in Italy. While you can use cornmeal for making polenta, look for a coarse grind cornmeal or one that says specifically polenta on it. Using a fine grind cornmeal can leave you with a mushy, pasty polenta.
Mix it Up. This is a great base polenta recipe. Make this your own with different soft cheeses; goat, feta, even cream cheese. Add some spices or fresh chopped herbs. Add some crispy bacon or prosciutto to the polenta with the cheese. Keep it vegetarian. We like this with chicken stock, but these are equally good with vegetable stock or water if you want to make them vegetarian.
Toppings. These are great with so many different toppings. We especially like these toppings
- Cherry tomato slice, blue cheese, and toasted pine nuts
- Spicy Prawns
- Peppered steak and brandy cream sauce (recipe coming soon)
Line pan with parchment to easily remove polenta from the pan when cutting. One of our favorite methods is to cut two strips the width of your pan. Place one in the bottom with the edges of parchment coming up over the edges of the pan. Turn the pan 90 degrees and place the other piece of parchment in the pan so the edges of parchment come up over the remaining two sides of the pan.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Inactive Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 49
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 158 mg
- Fat: 2.7 g
- Trans Fat:
- Carbohydrates: 4.3 g
- Protein: 1.9 g
- Cholesterol: 4.4 mg