Fried Polenta Recipe

Fried polenta or crostini di polenta is a delicious and simple Italian dish made with cornmeal. Although corn is of American origin, in Italy and other European countries it has been adapted to prepare dishes tailored to the characteristic tastes of the continent.

On the other hand, fried polenta is a super versatile and easy recipe that you can make both to accompany your main dishes and to enjoy vegan snacks if you substitute butter for vegan butter or oil.

Ingredients to make Fried Polenta:

• 250 grams of polenta
• 1 liter of water
• 25 grams of butter
• Oil
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• Salt to taste
• 1 handful of nutmeg
• pepper to taste

How to make Fried Polenta:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the water with the butter and the seasonings, mix very well and stir until it boils.
2. When it starts to boil, add the polenta little by little in the form of rain, always stirring with a wooden spoon. Lastly, add the sprig of rosemary.
3. After about 5 minutes a thick mixture will begin to form, turn off the heat, and remove the rosemary and let stand covered for a few minutes.
4. Brush a glass or similar tray with oil or butter, pour the still warm polenta into the mold and flatten it with a trowel until it is approximately 1 centimeter thick.
5. If it’s not too hot, you can help yourself with your fingers. You should let it rest until it cools and you will see that it solidifies a little.
6. Disassemble the polenta and cut it into not very thin strips, approximately one finger thick. Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan to brown the polenta pieces.
7. Brown each side of the nuggets over medium-high heat so they’re crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Serve the fried polenta right away with some Parmesan cheese.
8. Tip: You can also fry them completely submerged in oil and you will get the same result.

Fried Polenta – Recommendations

Although polenta is an Italian dish, today it is consumed in many countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France, and Switzerland. It is prepared in many ways: fried polenta, baked polenta with cheese, polenta with zucchini, polenta with taco, creamy polenta, among others. It is a very varied recipe and it will be a unique experience to prepare it in each of its presentations. Here are some recommendations so that when you make the fried polenta, it will be especially amazing:

• If you want to intensify the flavor of these sticks, you can substitute milk for the water.
• To make them extra crispy, before frying them, pass the sticks through a little raw polenta so that it sticks to the outside.
• If you are going to submerge them in hot oil to achieve even cooking, you should wait until the oil is very hot to prevent the sticks from falling apart. Check this by throwing a small piece of polenta into the oil, if it bubbles a lot it is ready to start frying.

Where to buy polenta?

Polenta can be found in some supermarkets, although they are not sold in all. It usually comes in a bag, just like flour, and is yellow in color. If you don’t have polenta at home, but still want to make recipes with polenta, you can improvise if you know how to make homemade polenta. To make it, you need:

• 2 tablespoons corn flour
• 1 liter of chicken broth

To do it, follow these steps:

1. Heat the broth in a saucepan
2. Add the cornmeal little by little
3. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes.

Keep in mind that this is not the polenta that is usually used in recipes, as it is already processed and packaged. This can change the final result of the recipe.