Fried Polenta Cakes Food

FRIED POLENTA

Steps:

• Lightly oil an 11 by 7-inch baking dish. Transfer the hot polenta to the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly to 3/4-inch thick. Refrigerate until cold and firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Cut the polenta into 2 by 1-inch pieces. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the polenta pieces until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer the polenta pieces to paper towels and drain. Place the polenta pieces on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while cooking the remaining batches.
• Transfer the polenta pieces to a serving platter. Sprinkle the polenta with the Parmesan cheese and salt. Serve, passing the marinara sauce alongside.
• Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of 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 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted.

FRIED POLENTA

Steps:

• Cut one 18-ounce tube polenta into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the polenta in flour and fry in batches until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side (add more oil if necessary). Drain on a rack; sprinkle with salt and grated parmesan.

FRIED POLENTA, EGGS, AND SAGE

Steps:

• Heat half the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the polenta, and cook, without flipping, until bottom is golden brown and polenta can be moved without tearing, 9 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, flip polenta, and move to edges of skillet.
• Add half the sage and 2 eggs to center of skillet, and cook, spooning oil over sage and eggs, until polenta is crisp on bottom and egg whites are set, about 4 minutes. (Add up to 2 teaspoons more oil if needed.) Season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Divide among plates, and serve.

FRIED POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a 1 to 1 1/2 quart oven-safe container, stir together water, salt, pepper, and polenta
• Add butter to the mixture, cut up in chunks.
• Place container, uncovered, in center rack of oven and bake 40 minutes.
• Open oven, pull out rack, add parmesan, and any other ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, olives, lemon zest, herbs, shallots, cilantro etc. and let bake another 10 minutes.
• Pull out of oven and let rest in refrigerator 20 minutes to over-night.
• In frying pan, on medium-high, heat oil.
• Spoon about half a cup of polenta into the pan at a time, fry until golden brown on each side.
• Let cakes rest about 3-5 minutes and serve.

PAN-FRIED POLENTA WITH CORN, KALE AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute; don't let the garlic brown. Add 3 cups of the water, and bring it to a boil.
• While the water heats, whisk together in a bowl the cornmeal, salt, and 1 cup water to make a smooth mixture.
• When the water in the saucepan comes to a boil, pour the mixture into it. Whisk constantly for 3 minutes to prevent lumps from forming. Turn the heat to low. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes. Stir in the corn kernels and cook the polenta 5 minutes more. Stir in the pepper and Parmesan cheese. Pour the polenta into a lightly oiled 8x8 inch pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Chill the polenta in a refrigerator for 1 hour.
• While the polenta is cooling, cut away the stems and center stalks of the kale. Cut the leaves into 3-inch pieces.
• Cut the chilled polenta into 4 large triangles. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, carefully add the polenta triangles. Fry the polenta until it is golden brown on the underside, then turn the polenta over and cook it until it is golden brown on the other side. Arrange the polenta on a baking sheet.
• Preheat the broiler on your oven.
• Place the kale and 1/3 cup water into the skillet that was just used to fry the polenta. Cover the skillet and cook the kale over a medium-high heat for 4 minutes.
• Place the tomato slices on top of the polenta triangles. Sprinkle the goat cheese on top of the tomato slices. Broil the polenta until the cheese melts and the tomatoes begin to cook.
• Arrange the kale on a serving platter. Place the hot polenta triangles on top of the kale and serve immediately.

FRIED POLENTA SQUARES WITH CREAMY MUSHROOM RAGU

Steps:

• Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Whisk in the polenta. Once it begins to thicken, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes until creamy and thick, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Stir in the Parmesan and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir until melted and cheese is no longer visible. Remove from heat.
• Line an 8x11 inch baking dish with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil and carefully pour the polenta into the baking dish, using a spatula to smooth it to an even thickness, about 3/4 inch. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours and up to two days until firm.
• While the polenta chills, make your ragu. In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic and saute until fragrant and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir often to prevent browning. Add mushrooms and thyme and cook over medium-high heat until the mushrooms start to release their liquid. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and continue to cook another 5 minutes until they begin to soften more.
• Add flour, stirring, until it is no longer visible, about 1 minute. Add in the wine, cream and sugar, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Taste and adjust salt if desired. Simmer until thick and creamy and the mushrooms are nicely coated, about 15 minutes. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and 1/2 cup minced parsley. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
• Slice your polenta into squares -- whatever size you desire. Wipe down your skillet, coat it with nonstick cooking spray, and heat it over medium-high. Fry the squares in the pan until golden brown and warmed through. To serve, top the squares with warm mushroom ragu.