Fried Polenta

Now that you have made a big beautiful batch of Creamy Polenta with Ragu, you may be fortunate enough to have some leftovers! You may have been surprised when you placed that smooth polenta into a bowl to have seen in completely congealed into a solid mass when you opened the container the next day!

Well, this is actually good news. Sometimes I make Polenta just so I can have the leftovers! This solid mass of cold polenta is perfect for making fried Polenta. This is a memory I have of my Italian Grandmothers kitchen in America. She was a great cook and we still make her Beef and Spinach Raviolis as a family tradition. We also love Bagna Calda, this means “Hot Bath” and is a fondue made of butter, anchovies and garlic. But I will have to post those recipes another day. Those are special occasion foods but fried Polenta was a hardy stand-by that always kept her five boys fed. Polenta was a staple for the Northern Italians during difficult times when food was scarce but it has continued to be loved even when times are good.

My grandmother would add in a little lemon zest, fry the polenta in butter and serve with maple syrup. Don’t forget they were living in America by this point. I doubt modern Italians use maple syrup on their polenta, but hey, why not!

This recipe for fried polenta is made into “french fry” shapes but fried polenta can be fried in squares or little cubes and any shape you want it! Often when I am serving leftovers that include polenta I will just fry it softly in a little olive oil or butter and serve it as the base for the sauce that will be served on top like leftover Sausage and Pork Rib Ragu!

But I really like this recipe for Polenta “french fries” because they are baked in the oven and are crispy enough to pick up with your fingers. I love them with fresh herbs and sea salt, especially when served with soup!

Fried Polenta

Left Over Polenta (If you need to make it from scratch, you can follow the recipe below)

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Fresh Herbs finely chopped

Polenta Fries (Polenta Fritta), Start with the leftover Polenta from your fridge..

Polenta

Ingredients:

5 cups of water

1 1/2 cups of polenta

1 small teaspoon salt

Bring a pot of the water with salt to a boil. Add the polenta but not all at once. Instead allow the polenta to “rain” down while you whisk until all the polenta has been incorporated into the water.

If the polenta starts to splatter, remove from the heat and add a little water. Then reduce the heat. and continue to stir.

Once the polenta is smooth, start using a wooden spoon instead. You can add water from time to time to keep it smooth. Continue to simmer 45 minutes. The polenta should pull away from the pot as you run a spoon across the bottom of the pan.

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