Polenta Pizzas With Roasted Tomatoes And Olives Food

POLENTA WITH ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450. Toss the tomatoes, olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large ovenproof skillet. Roast in the oven until the tomatoes are charred around the edges, about 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 but keep the tomatoes inside.
• Meanwhile, bring 5 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly whisk in the polenta until smooth and creamy. Add 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Slice the chard leaves into wide strips and the stems into 1-inch pieces. Boil the stems until almost tender, about 5 minutes, then add the leaves and cook until both are tender, about 3 more minutes. Drain the chard.
• Remove the skillet from the oven and place over medium-high heat. Push the tomatoes to one side, add the butter and swirl until the butter is golden brown. Add the chard and toss to coat. Divide the polenta among 4 bowls. Top with the tomatoes and chard. Season the cheese with salt and sprinkle over the top.

POLENTA MINI PIZZAS

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Heat olive oil on griddle or in frying pan on medium/medium high.
• Slice polenta into six 1/2 inch rounds.
• Fry polenta according to package directions. If there are no directions for frying, fry 5 minutes per side.
• Remove from griddle/pan, and place on a baking sheet. Prepare each slice like you would a pizza, layering 1 tablespoon pasta sauce, a basil leaf, 1 tablespoon ricotta, then 1 teaspoon parmesan. Broil 2-4 minutes until lightly browned.
• Note: Be careful when removing from the oven, especially if you're using a flat baking sheet. The polenta likes to slide around! Serve.

POLENTA PIZZAS WITH ROASTED TOMATOES AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Line 15x10-inch rimmed baking sheet with foil. Combine 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil. Gradually add polenta, whisking until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until polenta thickens and pulls away from sides of pan, whisking frequently, about 30 minutes for polenta and 15 minutes for yellow cornmeal. Whisk in butter and 1 teaspoon oregano. Pour out polenta onto prepared baking sheet; spread evenly to edges of sheet. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Line another large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange tomato slices in single layer on prepared sheet. Sprinkle tomatoes with 1/2 teaspoon sugar, then some salt. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Roast until tomatoes are tender but sides are firm and slices still hold together, about 2 hours. Cool. (Polenta and tomatoes can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.)
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line another large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using 1 3/4- to 2-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut out 24 rounds from polenta. Place rounds in single layer on prepared sheet. Top each round with 1 tomato slice. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon oregano. Top each with 2 or 3 olive halves. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then sprinkle with Parmesan.
• Bake polenta pizzas until heated through and cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

ORANGE ROUGHY WITH SAUTEED OLIVES, CAPERS & TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Add half of fish to skillet and sauté until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to platter. Repeat with remaining fish. Add parsley and crushed red pepper to same skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives, capers and garlic; sauté until tomatoes are soft and juicy, about 2 minutes. Spash a few tablespoons of wine and season with salt and pepper as needed; spoon over fish.

OSSO BUCO WITH TOMATOES AND KALAMATA OLIVES

Steps:

• Pat the shanks dry using paper towels.
• In a shallow dish mix flour with seasoned salt (or white salt) and black pepper).
• Coat the shanks in the flour (shaking off any excess flour).
• Heat butter with oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven.
• Add in shanks and brown on all sides (about 10-12 minutes) remove browned shanks to a bowl.
• Add in onions, carrots, celery, chili flakes and thyme; cook stirring with a wooden spoon for about 6 minutes (adding in the garlic the last 2 minutes of cooking).
• Add in the wine, broth undrained tomatoes, olives and bay leaves; bring to a boil stirring.
• Season with a little salt an black pepper.
• Arrange the shanks in the pot in one layer; bring to a boil on top of the stove.
• Set oven to 325 degrees.
• Transfer the pot to oven and cook covered until tender (about 2-1/2 hours).
• Serve with cooked pasta and pass the grated parmesan cheese at the table.

ROASTED OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400°F.
• In a bowl, combine the olives, rosemary, orange zest, olive oil, chili flakes and salt and toss to coat.
• Divide the olive mixture between 2 tapas pans and bake until the olives are warmed through, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.