Polenta Croutons With Parmesan Recipes

GREENS WITH POLENTA CROUTONS

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.

PANTRY DINNER SALAD WITH POLENTA CROUTONS

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.

ITALIAN CAESAR SALAD WITH POLENTA CROUTONS

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.

POLENTA CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Slice the tube of polenta into quarters, length-wise. Then slice the quartered logs into 1/2″ pieces.
• Place the chopped polenta into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
• Spread the polenta onto the baking sheet. Be sure the polenta is in a single layer.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, turning once halfway through baking. Bake until golden brown and crispy.

POLENTA CROUTONS

Steps:

• Prepare polenta or use leftover polenta from another meal. 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. Lightly spray a pyrex 13x9 dish with cooking spray. Transfer the hot polenta to the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly. Refrigerate until cold and firm, about 2 hours. To make the croutons: Preheat oven to 300 F. Cut the polenta into 3/4-inch cubes. Pat the polenta cubes dry with paper towels. Spread cubes out on a large baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake in oven for about 30 minutes until croutons become hard and crispy. Serve in soup or salad as desired or eat as a snack. Cut our polenta into small squares. Place in preheated 300 degree oven and bake for at least an hour until browned and crunchy. Store in airtight container.

POLENTA WITH ROSEMARY AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• In a saucepan, bring to a boil the chicken broth, water, milk, garlic, rosemary, and salt. Gradually whisk in cornmeal, set heat to medium-low, and simmer the cornmeal mixture until thick and creamy, stirring often to prevent lumps, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the Parmesan cheese until well combined.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart casserole. Spoon the polenta into the prepared casserole, adding more Parmesan cheese if desired. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the polenta is bubbling and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

POLENTA CROUTONS WITH PARMESAN

Steps:

• In a medium pot, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, and pour in the cornmeal, stirring constantly. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is thickened. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cayenne, salt, olive oil and black pepper.
• Transfer the polenta to a greased 8X8 baking pan. Spread the polenta evenly with a spatula or knife. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Leave to cool.
• Cut the polenta into small cubes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently transfer the cubes to the baking sheet. Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the croutons are crisp and golden. You may want to flip the cubes onto their sides part way through the baking time to ensure they brown evenly.

EASY POLENTA CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, toss cubed polenta, olive oil, salt, pepper and dried thyme until completely covered.
• Place polenta onto the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 425 for 45-50 minutes, flipping half way through, or until polenta cubes are browned on both sides. Start checking at the 30 minute mark.

POLENTA CROUTONS

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.