Try this very easy grilled polenta: with pine nuts, black olives and grated parmesan cheese… You can serve it as a light lunch or a veggie side dish!
Polenta, I just can’t get enough of it.
Have you ever cooked (with) polenta before? Let alone tasted it?
I make polenta very often.
Especially in the winter as a side dish for meat stews.
Or sausages. One recipe that I’ve always been wanting to make, is shrimp and grits. However I can’t find grits easily here in Belgium. But then I though that I might also be able to use polenta instead.
Grits vs Polenta
Both grits and polenta are cornmeal in fact.
Grits are coarser, whereas polenta is a much finer cornmeal. Nevertheless I think that shrimp and polenta are a delicious inner idea!
What do you think? Could I substitute grits for polenta?
Try grilled polenta next time as well!
You will be delighted… It is very simple to make: cook your polenta preferably a day in advance and then let it chill and set in the fridge. It won’t work if you use freshly made polenta though.
Then the next day just slice the block of cooled polenta up and grill it until it is crunchy and nicely golden around the edges.
Easy.
Easy Grilled Polenta with Herbs & Olives
Top it with whatever flavorful stuff you got.
Grated parmesan cheese, pink pepper, olives, capers… I might even try a sprinkle of lemon or orange zest next time! Now I come to think of it: I once ordered grilled polenta in Bolzano, Italy.
On my plate was a huge slice of grilled crunchy polenta.
On top was a thick slice of melted gorgonzola blue cheese and a baked fatty beef sausage. The whole lot was drizzled with melted butter and garnished with freshly grated orange zest.
Epic.
I was glad that calories don’t count on holidays, though.
Enjoy!
Easy Grilled Polenta with Herbs & Olives Recipe
Try this very easy grilled polenta: with pine nuts, black olives and grated parmesan cheese... Serve it as a light lunch or a veggie side dish!
- 3,5 oz polenta cornmeal (100 g)
- 1 ¾ cup vegetable stock (420 ml), warm
- a handful fresh herbs chopped
- a handful black olives sliced
- 2 tbsp capers in brine
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- a handful parmesan cheese grated
- olive oil
- pepper
- salt
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Place the vegetable stock over high heat until boiling and then add the polenta meal. Season with pepper.
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Bring the polenta to a good boil and then turn the heat very low. Cover the pan and let the polenta cook for 25 minutes. Stir regularly.
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The polenta should be smooth and not grainy. Then take the pan off the heat and add a teaspoon of olive oil and the chopped herbs.
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Stir and check the seasoning. Add extra pepper or salt to taste. Cover the pan again and let it rest for another 5 minutes. Then pour the fresh polenta in a plastic or glass container.
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Let it cool down fully. Cover the container and place it in the fridge to set for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. Then remove the polenta from the container and put it on a clean chopping board. Slice it into even strips.
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Place the strips on a large baking dish and grill them for 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and golden on top.
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Sprinkle the polenta with a little grated parmesan cheese and grill for another 2 minutes. Place the grilled strips onto clean plates. Let them cool a little. Then sprinkle with the sliced black olives, capers and pine nuts. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, the remaining grated parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of pepper and salt. Serve lukewarm.
