Roasted Veggies on Broiled Polenta

Broiling slices of polenta brushed with olive oil gives this rustic, simple dish a lovely texture boost. The edges sizzle and get slightly crisp.



1 fabulous sweet or red onion, chopped

1 heaping cup or so of cut broccoli florets
A handful of grape tomatoes
1 1/2 cups or so of slaw mix (shredded cabbage)
1 green bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cored and sliced
2-3 carrots, sliced into sticks
1 zucchini squash, sliced into half moons
1 yellow squash, sliced into half moons
6 cloves of garlic, chopped

Drizzle the veggies with extra virgin olive oil, and toss with a sprinkle of sea salt, some dried herbs of your choice [basil, oregano, thyme, sage], some fresh ground black pepper (or spicy red pepper flakes if you like heat) and a good dash or two of balsamic vinegar.

Throw the pan into the hot oven on a center rack, and roast away until almost done- about 30 to 40 minutes depending upon your oven and how many veggies you threw in the pan. Make sure you stir once or twice during the roasting to make sure all the veggies are coated and happy and cooking evenly.

When the veggies are just shy of done, cover the pan with foil and move the pan to a lower rack.

Slice a roll of cooked polenta into fairly thin slices. Lay the slices on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Set the oven to Broil.

Place the baking sheet with polenta on the higher oven rack, and broil until the polenta is sizzling and starting to get crispy around the edges (this took ten minutes in my oven).

Remove all the goodies and assemble your plates. Divide the polenta slices among three or four plates. Top with roasted vegetables. Scatter crumbled feta cheese. glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com


Homemade Polenta:
6 1/2 cups cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups yellow cornmeal (not stone-ground)
2 teaspoons olive oil plus additional for brushing
1/2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/3 cup)

Brush a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with water.
Combine 6 1/2 cups cold water with salt and cornmeal in a 5-quart heavy pot and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking. Reduce heat to moderately low and cook, stirring constantly with a long-handled wooden spoon, until polenta begins to pull away from side of pot, 20 to 25 minutes. Pour polenta into baking pan, spreading evenly with a dampened heatproof rubber spatula. Cool in pan on a rack until polenta is lukewarm and set, about 20 minutes.