Polenta Croutons Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl (or shake together in a small jar). Set aside.
• Pour polenta into a square or rectangular airtight container and spread into an even layer. Let cool, then cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 week. (The polenta will set into a solid block.)
• Turn out polenta onto a cutting board and cut into 1" cubes. Place Parmesan in a wide shallow bowl and, working in batches, toss cubes in cheese to coat. Using your hands, press cheese against edges of polenta to adhere, then transfer to a plate.
• Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high. Working in batches as needed, place as many polenta cubes as will fit in an even layer with 1" space between each in skillet. Let fry, undisturbed, until bottoms are crisp and browned, about 4 minutes. Resist the urge to move the cubes before 3 minutes have passed to avoid pulling the Parmesan coating off the polenta. Turn over one at a time, making sure cubes don't stick together, and repeat cooking process with opposite sides of cubes. Transfer to a plate.
• Toss onion, crunchy vegetables, and salt in a large bowl. Add radicchio, salami (if using), olives, and herbs and toss to combine. Drizzle reserved dressing over and toss gently to coat. Add warm croutons and gently toss again.

Steps:

• Cut cold polenta into 1/2-inch squares. Saute in a nonstick skillet with a little butter over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden brown.

Steps:

• For the polenta: Coat a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with a thin coat of olive oil.
• Combine 4 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Slowly add the polenta, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low, bringing the polenta to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter, cheese and rosemary. Pour the polenta into the prepared dish and cool completely until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick silicone liner.
• Unmold the polenta, cut into 1-inch squares and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until crisp and golden, about 1 hour.
• For the salad: Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar and Dijon in a small bowl along with some salt and pepper. Add the oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Toss the greens with the dressing in a large salad bowl. Add the tomatoes, cranberries, and Roquefort and toss again. Arrange the salad on a large serving platter or individual plates. Top with half the croutons and serve immediately. Reserve the remaining croutons for another use in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Steps:

• To make the dressing: Finely chop the garlic and anchovies in a food processor. Blend in the lemon juice and mustard. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the dressing, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• To make the croutons: Spread the olive oil over a small baking sheet. Transfer the hot polenta to the baking sheet, spreading evenly to form an 8 by 5 by 3/4-inch-thick rectangle. Cover and refrigerate until cold and firm, about 2 hours.
• Cut the polenta into 3/4-inch cubes. Pat the polenta cubes dry with paper towels. Add enough vegetable oil to a heavy large frying pan to come 1-inch up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil over high heat. Working in batches of 10, carefully add the polenta cubes to the oil 1 at a time and fry until golden brown, stirring to keep the cubes separate, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the polenta croutons to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
• (The dressing and polenta croutons can be prepared 1 day ahead up to this point. Cover the dressing and polenta croutons separately and refrigerate. Rewarm the polenta croutons on a baking sheet in a 350 degrees F oven before serving.)
• To make the salad: Prepare the barbecue for high heat. Grill the lettuce until lightly charred, about 2 minutes per side. Cut the lettuce into bite-size pieces.
• On a serving platter, mound the grilled chopped lettuce. Decoratively scatter the sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts. Drizzle with enough dressing to evenly coat. Sprinkle Parmesan and scatter the warm polenta croutons over and serve immediately.
• Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 12 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted.
• Lightly oil a half sheet pan. Transfer the hot polenta to the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly to 3/4-inch thick. Refrigerate until cold and firm, about 2 hours.

Steps:

• Make teff polenta as directed. Line a sheet pan, bread pan or baking dish with plastic wrap and spoon polenta on top. Press out to desired thickness and cover with plastic. Allow to stiffen completely, in the refrigerator if not using within the hour. You can also spread the polenta into a thin layer on the plastic on your work surface, cover with another sheet of plastic and gently roll over it with a rolling pin. Allow to cool and stiffen.
• Use a cookie cutter to cut rounds of polenta, or just cut into squares. Heat a heavy well-seasoned or nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat and add enough oil to coat well. Brown polenta pieces on both sides in oil. This doesn't take more than about a minute on each side. Each side should be crisp and brown. If the pieces are thicker cakes, turn down temperature a little so that they can heat through without burning. Remove to rack to drain. Serve hot or warm, or allow to cool and crumble into salads. They reheat nicely: place on a baking sheet in the oven at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Line a flat baking tin with non-stick baking parchment or olive oil.
• Cook the polenta according to packet instructions.
• When it is done, stir in the Parmesan, dried herbs, butter, salt and pepper, making sure that it is adequately seasoned.
• While still hot, pour it out evenly to make a thin even layer, smoothing it out with the back of a wooden spoon or palate knife.
• Leave to cool completely, so that it is firm.
• Cut it with a small round pastry cutter (2inches/5cm).
• Place the polenta croutons in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Cut the polenta into approximately 1.5cm cubes, toss in flour and fry in a little oil until slightly coloured. Keep warm.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick pan and fry the salmon portions for 1 min on each side until lightly golden, then transfer to a non-stick baking tray and cook in the oven for 8-10 mins. Test the fish to see if it is cooked by pushing a cocktail stick into the top of it. If the fish offers resistance, then it is not fully cooked and will need further cooking. When cooked, remove from the oven and set to one side.
• Dress the watercress with a little olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice. Scatter the polenta croutons and capers over each salmon fillet and serve with the watercress.