Leftover Polenta? Try these!

Polenta Croutons

So, admittedly this recipe makes a lot of polenta and if you don't have a large family (or appetite) it can leave a good amount of leftovers.

I find that I usually prefer polenta the day I make it, even though there are a lot of recipes that suggest you spread the creamy or even "mushy" stuff into a pan, let it cool (in a refrigerator or on the counter) to harden a bit, and then slice squares or pieces of it to serve. Strangely,  I kind of like the semi-soft mush so that's usually how I eat it. However, a long while ago I was at an Italian-American restaurant that used polenta (i.e., gluten free) croutons in one of their salads and they were fantastic. Normally, I don't care for croutons--at least ones from a bag, etc. They're too crunchy and salty and they just don't work on a salad for me. The polenta ones, however, had the perfect tooth bite and didn't threaten to cut up the roof of my mouth.

So, anyway, I set out to use my leftovers to mimic those famous polenta croutons. And, not to toot my own horn (well, maybe a little), they were pretty damn good.

Ingredients:
Polenta spread into a pan and refrigerated overnight (or for several hours)
1 Tb butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
Olive oil, if needed


This is what I did:

I spread the leftover polenta into a cake pan so that it was maybe 1/2 inch high, then I refrigerated it overnight.

The next day, I cut it into "crouton-sized" squares. In a medium frying pan, I added the butter and garlic powder and turned the flame to about medium heat.

Once the butter was melted and a little frothy, I added the polenta. Then it was a patience game because in order to make sure the squares get crispy, I needed each side (or almost each side) to brown a little. I would say I gave it about 7 minutes per side on medium to low heat.

You really just need to keep your eye on them and try not to let the butter brown much. If you find the polenta sticking at all, add a couple drops of olive oil (you can also add more butter, if you prefer).

Once they were lightly browned and crisp on the outside, I gave one a try on its own. Buttery and garlicky crispiness on the outside and a creamy polenta center... it was pretty heavenly--and I think I managed to replicate the ones I had at that restaurant... mine might even have been better. 

This is how I served them:

I think it was one of the best salads I've ever made (mesclun greens, herbs, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, and some fresh mozz with a balsamic vinaigrette--and of course the croutons).