When the weather outside is frightful, let this home-cooked recipe brought to you by Santoni’s Marketplace & Catering deliver you from the late winter doldrums.
Recipe and photo provided by Santoni’s Marketplace & Catering, a full-service, off-premises catering company located at 4854 Butler Road in Glyndon. For information, visit santonis.com.
Polenta Bites with Mushrooms and Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 pounds prepared polenta sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds (about 30 rounds)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for brushing
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
- 2 pounds assorted mushrooms (such as portobello, crimini, and/or stemmed shiitake) cut into thick slices
- 2 shallots thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
- 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves
- 4 ounces fontina cheese coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
- 8 ounces sundried tomato pesto sauce
Instructions
- Preheat grill pan on stovetop.
- Brush both sides of polenta slices very lightly with oil and place on grill pan to toast (approximately 3 minutes on each side).
- Preheat broiler in oven to medium heat.
- Meanwhile, melt butter with remaining two tablespoons of oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until tender and browned, (about 12 minutes).
- Add shallots, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and red pepper and cook, stirring, until tender, (about 5 minutes). Stir in parsley.
- Divide mushroom mixture between each piece of grilled polenta. Top with cheese and place under broiler until cheese is melted, (about 5 minutes).
- Warm the sundried tomato pesto sauce and smear on the platter with the back of a spoon.
- Arrange polenta bites on top of the sauce and serve.
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