Saturday, March 6, 2010

Grilled Polenta

When we were in D.C. in November I picked up two packages of polenta at the grocery store. We ate the plain one almost immediately, the other was a basil garlic flavor.

I took Biz's advice of dipping the slices in beaten egg and then a mixture of panko and grated Parmesan cheese.

Once the cast iron grill pan was pre-heated I sprayed it and deposited the rounds on. I let them cook undisturbed for about 4 or 5 minutes, then flipped and let the second side cook for 3 or 4 minutes.

Unfortunately the breading mixture stuck a little to the pan in some areas. I think in the future I might try to bake since the polenta is so fragile. Some cracked while flipping, too.

We were still left with really great flavor from both the polenta and the breading. It had a charred goodness that paired nicely with the grilled steak and salad we ate alongside.

I was a little overzealous in my serving sizes. Neither of us finished all of our steak or ate all of the polenta rounds! They're packed neatly away for leftovers and a potential polenta casserole or lasagna.

12 comments:

Judy said...

Nice idea for cooking the polenta. It is very filling, so I can see how you wouldn't finish.

Laura said...

Well that Biz is up to ALL kinds of good things :) I love fried polenta, it's so dang tasty. I never have made it this way because I like it fried plain. If I get Parmesan I might give this a whirl.

And again those steaks make me drool.

Simply Life said...

I've actually never cooked with polenta but you make it look soooo good!

Jane said...

A very nice alternative way to cook polenta. Never tried them before but I like the idea of the cheese going along with it.

Jessie said...

Polenta in a tube - wow! Your recipe looks great :) I like the grill lines on the polenta, too. I'll bet the cheese tasted good with it. Can't wait to see a possible polenta lasagna! :)

sophia said...

I've been meaning to try grilled polenta...too bad they stick so much! What about...broiling them? Or is that the same as baking them? Haha, I can never tell the difference!

Ally's Sweet and Savory Eats said...

I've never had polenta ( I know!). I saw on the Food Network once where a restaurant made it sweet, putting in on the griddle like french toast and dousing it with maple syrup...yum.

Memaw's memories said...

Even though it wasn't called Polenta in the south, it has the same basic ingredients and is made the same way. My dad ate a lot of it when he was growing up, and a lot of the time it was all they had. It was a poor man's dish in the 20's and 30's.

Jenn@slim-shoppin said...

Man that steak looks deluxe!!!

I have yet to make polenta like that. Sorry it stuck a little

Anonymous said...

Sorry they stuck Christina, but they look delicious!

My first thought when I saw the size of your steak was "Wow, I wonder if she ate all of that!" since you are so tiny! :D

Happy Monday - can't wait to see what the leftovers bring!

Anonymous said...

Oh my, that polenta looks SO good.

Alisa - Frugal Foodie said...

Fascinating, I have never heard of battering / breading polenta slices. May have to give that a whirl!