Saffron and Honey

Roasted polenta with spinach-basil pesto

January 7, 2013 — balsamic glaze, basil, Dinner, Olive oil, parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pesto, Polenta, polenta cakes, spinach

My dad really likes polenta – or he thought he did, and then he tasted it plain before it is cooked! – but we don’t tend to make it very often, and this was a great opportunity to get creative.

This is an easy and fun new side to shake up your weeknight dinners with the added zing of green pesto and balsamic glaze that make these polenta cakes so flavorful.

Roasted polenta with spinach-basil pesto

You’ll need:

for the polenta cakes:

• 18 oz traditional ready-made polenta
• 3 T balsamic glaze
• olive oil
• salt, pepper
• about 4 T freshly grated parmesan cheese

for the pesto:

• 6 oz spinach
• a handful of basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 T toasted walnuts
• about 4 T olive oil
• salt, to taste

1. Make the pesto first, by combining all of the ingredients in a food processor and pureeing until smooth, adding the olive oil in gradually. Taste for salt and adjust to taste. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 425F. Slice the polenta into quarter inch thick slices. Layer them on a baking sheet and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil – you want a thin layer of oil on the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Top sliced polenta with most of the cheese and top off with about 1/4 teaspoon of balsamic glaze each.

4. Bake the polenta for about 25 minutes until it is just browning and has crisped up. Remove from oven, top with remaining parmesan cheese and pesto. Serve immediately.