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| Photograph taken by Joanie Schwarz |
This is a great hors d'oeuvre anytime of the year but I especially like to make it during the holiday season. They are perfect little bite size morsels that are packed with flavor. The salty olives with peppery arugula and crispy polenta make for a really delicious bite. If you are looking for a New Year's Eve appetizer to serve, this one is excellent. It's vegan, gluten free (of course) and so tasty. I found this recipe in Food and Wine last year and changed it up a little. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/crispy-polenta-bites-with-arugula-tapenade
Please give it a try, I think you'll love it! My version of the recipe is listed below.
The best photographer in the world and a good friend of mine, Joanie Schwarz, came over one afternoon to take some photos of the food I was making for this post. She is wonderful. There are people in life that you know you're just destined to be friends with and for me, she is one of those people. Check out her website: http://joanieschwarzphotography.com/ and enjoy some of her amazing photos below.
La Recette:
Ingredients-
1 - 16 oz. log of prepared polenta, room temperature - Trader Joe's has a good one that is organic.
1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs, you can buy these or make your own. I prefer to make my own.*
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup arugula, chopped
1/4 cup green olives, chopped
Pinch Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 radishes, thinly sliced, I like to use a mandoline. If you don't have one, you can practice your knife skills :) Try to get the radishes really thin.
Directions-
-Cut the polenta's edges into a rectangle. (I like to reserve the cut pieces and put them into an egg white scramble for breakfast.)
-Slice the polenta vertically (the long way), so you have two pieces and then vertically again so you have four long pieces.
-Spread the breadcrumbs out into a shallow dish and press the outer sides (not the top and bottom) of the polenta into the breadcrumbs so that it is coated.
-In a saute pan, on medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Cook the polenta about 3 minutes per side.
-Make sure the olive oil coats the entire pan and a spatula is helpful when flipping sides.
-Make sure the olive oil coats the entire pan and a spatula is helpful when flipping sides.
-In the meantime, combine the arugula, olives, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
-When each side is slightly golden, remove from the pan and let them rest for 5-10 minutes.
-Cut each section into five small squares.
-Top each square with a teaspoon of tapenade and garnish with two radish slices.
* To make your own gluten free bread crumbs, use the ends or slices of your regular gluten free sliced bread. Just put it into a blender or food processor. It's cheaper than buying bread crumbs and a good way to use up the ends. Let them sit out uncovered for about a day so they get crispy.
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| Photograph taken by Joanie Schwarz |
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| Photograph taken by Joanie Schwarz |
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| Photograph taken by Joanie Schwarz |
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| Photograph taken by Joanie Schwarz last one...  |
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