Vegetarian Polenta Squares

Corn flour is a great alternative for celiacs and gluten intollerant people, is naturally gluten-free and it's really filling. There are many ways to enjoy it as a main dish, and the Italian cooking tradition offers a couple of famous versions:  a smoking plate with tomato and meat sauce or with melted cheese.

But Polenta is so versatile that it's great as finger food as well. These vegetarian squares are a great appetizer if you are having friends over for dinner.

Ingredients (6-8 people)

• 400 gr Corn Flour for Polenta
• 2.5 L Water
• 100 gr Sun dried tomatoes
• 1 tbsp capers
• 20 gr Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves Garlic
• Salt, Oregano and Olive Oil to taste

1. Prepare the polenta following the procedure in the package. Most commonly it takes 2.5 L water mixed with 1tbsp of salt, bring to boil then stir in the polenta. Turn to low heat and keep stirring with a whisk or wooden spoon until it becomes dense (in my case it took 10 minutes).
2. Transfer the soft polenta into a rectangular cake tin (covered in cling film). Let it cool down until solid, it will take 5-6 hours, even better overnight.
3. Season the sun dried tomato in a bowl with olive oil, the garlic cloves, 2 tbsp of oregano and the capers. If the tomatoes come from a dry plastic wrap, make sure you soften them for 10 minutes in hot water.
4. When the polenta is has completely cooled down, cut in squares (max 1 cm thick). Place the squares onto the oven tray covered in baking paper, brush them with olive oil, add a spoonful of tomato mix and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
5. Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes at 190 °C. Serve while hot and crispy!

TIPS: This recipe is a great gluten-free party finger food or appetizer. Feel free to adapt it with your favorite ingredients. You can preserve them for 2-3 days in an air-tight container.

Have you tried it? Do you have any suggestions? Leave your comment!