The pan-fried polenta crostini are a great alternative to regular bread crostini and allow you to prepare appetizers ahead of your guests’ arrival. Bread crostini are more delicate than polenta crostini, which can be quickly reheated in the oven and then garnished without any issues.
If you like appetizers, don’t forget to check out the recipe
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 313.59 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 68.28 (g) of which sugars 0.56 (g)
- Proteins 7.53 (g)
- Fat 1.83 (g) of which saturated 0.17 (g)of which unsaturated 0.00 (g)
- Fibers 5.88 (g)
- Sodium 111.69 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 13.23 oz polenta
- 4.23 cups water
- to taste salt
- to taste black peppercorns
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
Tools:
- 1 Pot
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Knife
- 1 Loaf Pan
- 1 Plastic Wrap
Preparation
The preparation of the crostini is simple, just make regular polenta, instant is fine too, here’s how to proceed
Cook the polenta following the instructions on the package. When it’s cooked, pour it into a loaf pan or a bowl with a “loaf” shape.
The loaf shape will allow you to remove the polenta without breaking it once solidified. If you don’t have a silicone mold, you can line it with plastic wrap to make removal even easier.
Let it rest in the refrigerator for a few hours so that the polenta compacts, remove and cut it into slices 3/4 inch thick. Be careful not to break the slices, use a very sharp non-serrated knife similar to those for slicing cured meats. The fact that the polenta has to cool and solidify allows you to prepare it in advance.
Once you have the slices, you only need to put them in a pan with some oil and start cooking the crostini on both sides. If you want a more scenic result, you can use a grill pan to give it a grilled effect.
The important thing is to cook and brown the outer part of the crostino well. At this point, the crostini are ready, you can set them aside until you’re ready to use them or garnish them with your chosen topping.
If you’re not serving them immediately, just set them aside and before serving, top them with bacon, lard, or clams and cherry tomatoes. Heat them for 5 minutes in a hot oven on grill mode and you’re done!
When the crostini are hot, you can serve them with your chosen topping.
Your pan-fried polenta crostini are ready!
Plating Tips:
The dish I often use the pan-fried crostini for is crostini with clams, a peculiar combination that has always been satisfying and has won the hearts of friends and family over the years.
Wine Pairing for Polenta Crostini:
I recommend selecting the wine based on the final use of the pan-fried polenta crostini, for example, if pairing with shellfish, I suggest a white wine like Vermentino di Gallura. For pairing with meat and sauce, I suggest a full-bodied red wine that pairs well with meat, such as a Montepulciano or Brunello di Montalcino.
