Olive and Sundried Tomato Polenta Wedges

I’ve only made polenta once before, which made the formulation of this recipe quite the lesson in trial and error. My frustration was most definitely exacerbated by the fact that there is a heat wave scorching through Toronto right now, making it so that every time the oven or stove top is turned on in our kitchen it feels like the temperature rises to about 45 degrees Celsius. Totally bogus. Big thanks to Warren for braving the hellish temperature long enough to stick around and snap some pictures of the end result.

I originally put way too much oil in this recipe and the polenta turned out a bit soggy inside, so I cut it in half from 1/4 cup to only 2 tablespoons. This way, the polenta should turn out relatively fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside after frying it. Also, it’s way tastier with a dipping sauce to accompany it. I whipped up a tomato-basil sauce with the leftover kalamata olives and it was delicious. Or you could spread some pesto over it. Even the marinara sauce from my last post would be great too.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup green olives, pitted and sliced
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:
1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and the onions are turning translucent.
2. Add the olives, sundried tomatoes, oregano, and black pepper. Sauté for another 2 or 3 three minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the vegetable broth, water, and salt. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to low and stream in the cornmeal, whisking it constantly. Continue stirring until the polenta mixture thickens up (check out the above picture for reference). I usually get the right consistency after less than a minute of simmering, but depending on the type of cornmeal, it could take up to 15 or 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Spread out about 1/2-inch thick onto a lightly oiled tray or baking sheet. Cool in the refrigerator for about an hour.
5. Slice into rectangular wedges and heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Don’t bother putting any oil in the pan. Instead, very lightly oil the polenta wedges and put them in the hot pan. Fry on each side for a few minutes until crispy (you’ll likely need to repeat this step a couple times depending on the size of your skillet). Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and serve with your dipping sauce of choice.
Serves: 4 or 5

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