I love polenta.  Creamy, fried, or grilled – doesn’t matter to me.  Cheesy or smothered in marinara sauce – it’s all good.  Whenever I want a treat that’s low in calories, fat and sodium, polenta is what I think of (unless you opt for the creamy or cheesy versions 😉

Lately I’ve been lazy and opting for the store-bought version.  But store-bought generally tastes a little more manufactured, if you know what I mean (read chemicals, preservatives, etc.).  So I reminded myself how easy polenta is to make and went for it.  Let’s just say I did not regret it.  So yummy!!! And I had enough leftover to leave for the kids to cook for dinner while Art and I are away on a mini-vacay (yes I’m posting recipes from my vacation.  That’s the blogging life, my friends.)

Fried Polenta with Fried Tomatoes Recipe

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tomato

sea salt

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used a 4 cheese blend)

Directions:

In a large pot, bring the water and 1/2 tsp. of salt to a boil. (You need a large pot so you have plenty of room to stir.  I used a medium pot and mine was a little lumpy.)

Pour the cornmeal into the boiling water in a thin stream, stirring constantly.

Cook, over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 15-25 minutes, or until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan.

Pour the polenta onto a lightly greased cutting board.  Shape it gently.

Let the polenta cool for about 15 minutes.  Then cut into slices.  (This will make enough to feed 6-8 people, but the tomato recipe only serves 1-2, so if you don’t want to use it all right away, wrap the unsliced polenta in greased plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.)

Heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat.

Add polenta slices and fry on both sides, until golden brown.

While polenta is cooking, slice tomato.  Spread out slices on a plate and sprinkle both sides with sea salt and cornmeal.  (This will dry the slices enough so that they hold their shape when fried).

Remove polenta slices to a warm plate.

Add additional olive oil to the already heated pan.

Add tomato slices and fry for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Serve tomato slices over polenta and top with shredded cheese.

Enjoy!!