I've been playing around with it a bit lately. It's not homemade (stay tuned for that), I've been buying pre-made, organic polenta and slicing it into rounds. Today I'm going to share with you some of my favorite toppings. These are great for a snack and perfect as an h'orderve when you have guests. You can dress up the rounds as sweet or savory to touch on all those lovely parts of your pallet.
Another idea is to get the kids involved. Let them each pick out a topping or two and have them top a few rounds. If you make enough, it can easily be a creative dinner that they took part in making, which typically means they are more likely to eat it. Not always the case at my house but it's worth a try.
I've used polenta I bought at Trader Joe's and today I'm using Freida's, which I found at Albertsons. Both are organic. This is so simple and cheater-like, you will want to make them regularly.
You can plan out what toppings you like. Last time around I topped a few with pesto and a few with some cheese (for the husband). Next time around I'd like to add some mushroom and olive, yum!
Here was today's polenta adventure.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Start by slicing up your polenta roll. My slices are probably a little over 1/4 inch thick, but it really doesn't matter.
You will want to start by coating them with an oil of your choice. I chose olive oil today. I literally poured some olive oil on my hands and gave each round a little rub down. My dry hands could use the olive oil love anyway.
Lay your rounds out on your baking sheet and get ready to top those babies with your yummy additions.
My first tried and true topping was artichoke antipasto with a little black pepper. Some of you may not like artichoke, I feel bad for you.
Next topping, also tried and true was salsa. Salsa and corn seem to take on a natural love affair. What I tried this time that I hadn't before, was green chili salsa. I can't wait to taste it!
Now that we have some savory and some spice, let's move on to the sweet! I really enjoyed these last time around so I'm including them again. I used organic apricot jam with a sprinkle of cinnamon. They come out like an easy going, mellow dessert.
Do you see that little guy there? I just poured some honey on him and called it a day.
Time to bake these little pretties. They take about 15 minutes, but I tend to bake mine longer for two reasons. One is because I refrigerate my polenta to leave more room in my fridge so they start off cold. Second is because I like my polenta rounds a tiny bit crispy on the edges. I'd rather save the soft polenta for a creamy dish.
You can do just about anything with these. I'm dairy free, but if I wasn't, I would be dabbing on the goat cheese with rosemary or ricotta with basil. The combinations are limitless!
If you're a meat eater you can easily add meat the the show. How about some seasoned beef or ground turkey with cheese and lettuce? Little polenta tacos!
Let me know if you try your own polenta round snacks and which one's were your favorite.
Tons of love,
Caffeine and Freckles
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