Grilled Polenta Bites

I’ve travelled to the South a few times over the last couple of years and absolutely loved it. I enjoyed trying rich, comfort foods and immersing myself in a culture that’s very different from my own California way of life. One of my favorite new dishes to try was grits. I even came home and made my own shrimp and sausage grits. This time, I tried a polenta dish. Polenta is a corn grit. It cooks into a thick consistency, and is perfect for serving as a warm dish or individually like in this recipe. Add some flavorful toppings, and you have the perfect summer appetizer!

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic polenta corn grits
• 6 cups water
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 green onions
• 1/4 cup Cotija cheese
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp chili pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• olive oil for sautéing
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil, slowly stir in polenta.
2. Continue to simmer polenta for thirty minutes, stirring frequently. Add in butter. Cook until grits are very thick and stick together.
3. Immediately spoon polenta into bottom third of muffin tins while warm and let cool for ten minutes. 
4. Sauté red onions in olive oil for two minutes until translucent. Add in corn, chili, paprika and pepper.
5. Remove polenta from muffin tins and place on grill until outside of polenta is dry and grill lines appear
6. Spoon corn mixture on top of polenta. 
7. Add green onions and Cotija for garnish

 

 

Enjoy with the whole family!