Recipe by Chef Michael Williams
Roasted Garlic Polenta Cakes
- Prep time 10 mins
- Cook time 2 hours 20 mins
Old school, but delicious. Polenta cakes have been around for ages and there is a reason for that. They are simple, inexpensive and very satisfying. The possibilities are endless with how you can flavour them and they compliment many dishes.
Ingredients
Directions
- Line a casserole dish with plastic wrap and set aside.
- 2. Preheat a large heavy bottom pot on medium-low heat. Add the butter, onion and garlic and sauté until nicely browned, stirring occasionally.
- Once brown, add the milk and water and turn the heat up to bring to a boil. Keep a close eye on the pot as milk loves to boil over and make a huge mess.
- Just as the milk reaches a boil, reduce heat to medium-low again and using a whisk, slowly stir in the corn meal. Make sure the corn meal is evenly distributed and there is no clumping.
- Season with salt, cumin and paprika and then cook for about 15 minutes. Make sure to give a good stir with a wooden spoon every 5 minutes or so and check that its not burning on the bottom.
- Once the polenta is soft and cooked, it’s time to stir in the parmesan cheese. Go with fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano if you can.
- Now pour the warm polenta into the plastic lined casserole dish and spread out and compact in an even layer with a wet spatula (so it does not stick) and place in the fridge to cool.
- After 2 hours or so, you can remove the polenta from the dish by lifting the plastic wrap. Place on a cutting board and cut into desired shape. Square, rectangle, circle with a cookie cutter, half moon etc.
- Fry cakes until warm and browned with a little butter in a preheated fry pan on medium heat. Serve as an appetizer or as part of your dinner.
Variations
- These freeze quite well, so you can make a big batch and freeze any leftovers.
- Change up the cheese for a totally different cake. Try gorgonzola or brie for instance and see the difference.
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