Recipes

Santiago’s Polenta Wedges

Add some playfulness to your meal with these brightly coloured and tasty polenta wedges 

By Carolyn Herriot /

Credit: Carolyn Herriot

Polenta Wedges

Have a polenta party with these versatile wedges

Put some pep in your step with energizing vegan polenta wedges

Serve these tasty polenta wedges with black beans, salsa and/or a dollop of sour cream. Remember that you can freeze fresh summer corn in its inner wrapper leaves to enjoy sweet kernels any time of year.

TIP: When cooking polenta, choose a large pot with high sides because polenta spits as it cooks!

Ingredients

  • 45 mL (3 Tbsp.) vegetable oil

  • 250 mL (1 cup) red onions, diced

  • 60 mL (2 Tbsp.) sundried tomatoes, chopped

  • 60 mL (¼ cup) dried peppers or 125 mL (½ cup) fresh peppers, chopped up fine

  • 3 large garlic cloves

  • 2 mL (½ tsp.) dried red chilies, crushed

  • 2 mL (½ tsp.) dried oregano

  • 2 mL (½ tsp.) dried basil

  • 5 mL (1 tsp.) sea salt

  • 5 mL (1 tsp.) black pepper

  • 750 mL (3 cups) vegetable stock

  • 250 mL (1 cup) tomato juice

  • 250 mL (1 cup) corn kernels

  • 375 mL (1½ cups) coarse cornmeal

Instructions

1. Throw the sundried tomatoes, dried peppers (if using) and garlic cloves into a food processor and whiz into small pieces.

2. Heat the oil in the cooking pot, and sauté the onions, fresh peppers (if using), chilies, oregano, basil, salt and black pepper with the whizzed mixture, until the onions are soft. Add the vegetable stock, tomato juice and corn kernels and bring to a boil.

3. Slowly add the cornmeal, whisking constantly.

4. Reduce the heat, and cook for approximately 10 minutes, until the polenta has thickened and comes off the side of the pot.

5. Pour the polenta onto a baking sheet, spreading to about a 2.5-cm (1-in.) thickness.

6. Leave to cool. Cut into 10-cm (4-in.) squares, and store refrigerated, placed between sheets of waxed paper in a sealed glass container.

7. To serve as polenta wedges, cut the squares in half. Polenta will store well for up to a week.

Originally published in BC Home & Garden magazine. For regular updates, subscribe to our free Home and Garden e-newsletters, or purchase a subscription to the magazine.