Polenta is part of the Italian gastronomic tradition since the time of the Roman Empire. Made from boiled flour, it is an inexpensive resource with which to accompany many dishes. Using it as a garnish is in fact its most common use but today we are going one step further.
Once the polenta is cooked, it can be left to cool to create blocks as we do today in this recipe for polenta and smoked cheese bars. Once cut into portions we can roast or fry these, achieving a crunchy texture on the outside and tender on the inside.
It is common to incorporate ingredients such as cheese or spices to polenta that help give it both creaminess and flavor. This is what we have done to achieve a perfect snack for an informal lunch or dinner with friends. Serve it with a spicy tomato sauce and you will succeed! Do you dare to prepare them?
Ingredients (20 bars)
- 380 ml. vegetable broth
- 60 g. instant polenta
- 20 g. of butter
- 50 g. smoked cured cheese, grated
- Sal Island
- Black pepper
- Flour to coat
- Extra virgin olive oil
Step by step
- Start by lining a 20 × 20 cm mold. with cling film.
- Place the vegetable broth in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then, pour the polenta and cook 6 or 7 minutes over medium heat stirring the mixture continuously with a rod or a spoon until it thickens. Read the manufacturer's recommendations; all do not have to cook the same.
- Next, remove the polenta from the heat and add the butter, cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until all the ingredients are incorporated, taste and correct the salt if necessary.
- Pour the dough into the mold, smooth the surface and cover with plastic wrap, so that it touches the surface of the dough. Let warm for half an hour and then take to the fridge another hour.
- Then take the block out of the fridge and cut it into bars 7 × 1,5 cm. about.
- Flour the bars and fry them in oil heat well in batches until golden brown (2-3 minutes on each side). You don't fry many at once; if the temperature of the oil drops the dough will fall apart.
- As you remove them from the pan, place the bars on absorbent paper.
- Serve the polenta and cheese bars with spicy tomato sauce or another sauce of your taste.