Roasted Vegetable Bruschetta on Pesto Polenta Bites
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Appetiser
Serves: ~40 pieces
Ingredients
  • Vegetables:
  • 1 carrot, sliced diagonally into rounds
  • 1 small crown broccoli, cut into florets
  • ½ small onion, cut into strips
  • 8-10 spears asparagus
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and coarsely chopped
  • ⅓ cup artichoke hearts in oil, drained and coarsely chopped
  • .
  • Polenta:
  • 1 cup polenta (or coarse cornmeal)
  • ⅔ cup basil pesto
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • .
  • Goat cheese, crumbled (optional)
  • Balsamic reduction (optional)
Instructions
  1. Line a half sheet baking pan or a 8x8 inch brownie tray with plastic wrap.
  2. Fill a medium saucepan with water. Sprinkle in dry polenta, whisking to ensure it doesn't clump together. Heat saucepan over high heat until it starts to bubble, continuing to whisk frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking fairly frequently, until the mixture is thick and creamy. This entire process should take roughly 45 minutes, but it's pretty easy.
  3. Remove polenta from the heat and stir in the salt and pesto. Pour polenta into the lined baking pan, smoothing out the top with a spatula so that the polenta is poured into a roughly even layer. Place a piece of parchment paper over top the polenta and lightly smooth it over, so that the surface of the polenta more or less completely touches the paper. This will not only create a smooth surface for the polenta, but will also stop it from drying out or forming a less-than-attractive 'skin' as it cools. Place polenta in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or as long as overnight.
  4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss carrots, broccoli, onion and asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges of the broccoli and asparagus are lightly charred and the carrots are tender.
  5. In a medium mixing bowl, combine roasted vegetables with sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts, forming a sort of rustic antipasto. Set aside.
  6. Remove polenta from the fridge and gently remove it from the baking sheet by lifting the edge of the plastic wrap it sits on. The polenta should be fully set by now and have the consistency of firm tofu- firm enough to handle, but soft enough to break apart. Slice polenta into squares (or circles, or star shape,s or gingerbread man shapes using cookie cutters). Heat a small glug of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Place sliced polenta pieces in the pan. Resist the urge to move the polenta around the pan at all for 3-4 minutes- if you move it before it's 'fried,' it could start to break apart. If you do test a piece and it's not ready, simply drop it back down and let it fry for a minute or two more- keep in mind, these don't need to be perfect, they are going to be covered with veggies after all. Once one side of the polenta slices has been fried, flip them all and fry the other side. Repeat with all the slices.
  7. Top fried polenta slices with veggie mixture, adding a sprinkle of goat cheese and balsamic reduction to the tops if desired.
Recipe by Port and Fin at https://portandfin.com/roasted-vegetable-bruschetta-on-pesto-polenta-bites/