Pre-cooked polenta is a very quick way to make a tasty snack or side dish. Simply cut them into shape and cook them by pan searing, frying or grilling. With a very mild and subtle corn flavor, polenta can easily take on seasoning or sauces and pair with a variety of dishes. Meat, veggies, seafood all work.
Polenta "cakes" on the grill, seasoned with smoked paprika and complimented by a rich saffron based shortcut aioli. High quality saffron imparts a beautiful, golden color and specific aroma that pairs with the smokiness from the paprika.
Check out our other polenta recipes and condiment pairing ideas:
Steps
Remove the polenta from the package, dry it with a paper towel and slice into 1/8 inch thick circles. (1 tube can make about 20 circles)
Brush both sides with olive oil. Season with salt, paprika, smoked paprika
Grill, pan sear or shallow fry for about 7 minutes on each side. Careful , the polenta will become more brittle as it is warming up. Instant polenta is already cooked, so the aim is to get a nice char/season on the circles.
Grill - make sure the grill is preheated and the grates are hot and oiled. Reduce heat to medium and grill on each side for about 7 minutes.
Pan sear - on a cast iron pan, set to high heat, sear the polenta on each side for about 5 minutes.
Shallow fry - in a skillet, with about 4 tbsp of oil (canola, grapeseed, safflower, sunflower, peanut, avocado) - fry on each side for about 4 minutes.
Aioli
Add a pinch of saffron threads to 1 Tbsp warm water- let sit for 10 minutes.
Periodically move around the saffron to make sure all the threads comes in contact with the water.
Rather than making an aioli from scratch, add 4 Tbsp of mayo,
Add 1 Tsp of olive oil, salt, black pepper and garlic powder or 1 minced clove of garlic.
Whisk together.
Optional: add a squeeze of lemon or a few drops of sherry vinegar.
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