Grilled Polenta

Sometimes you just want a change from the "same old same old..." And during the summer, I just can't get away from my grill. Okay, my grill pan. We do still live in a condo, after all. But you could make this on a charcoal or gas grill for a nice, smokier flavor.



I just bought some pre-made polenta. It comes in a tube, and they sell it in the larger chain grocery stores now. As a kid, I was never much interested in cooked polenta. It usually came to the table in the form that looked like thick Cream of Wheat (which I liked, but does anyone get a big thrill out of it?) I viewed it as simply "filler." I was even less interested as an adult, because it can take some time to cook, unless you use an instant variety. If you didn't know, it is really corn meal.

The only kind I really got a kick out of was the grilled polenta at my beloved (God rest its soul) Cafe Angelo, that used to be located on Wabash in Chicago. It came on a platter with other grilled delights, like portobello mushrooms and octopus. That's what gave me this idea to buy the prepared polenta, slice it, grill it and serve it, topped with browned turkey meat with jar tomato sauce added (which appeals to my husband more than the octupus might.)

I thought this also might be a cute passed appetizer for parties, especially one in which you were going to grill the entreé, anyway. You could thicken the sauce by adding some tomato paste to the turkey and pasta sauce (so that it didn't run so much.) Then you could grill the rounds, and place a small spoonful of sauce on top of each one with a sprig of basil or oregano. Then you'd have a "two-bite" appetizer with no sticks to dispose of!