Grilled Polenta with Cherry Tomatoes

 

Grilled Polenta with Cherry Tomatoes

This is one of my favorite go-to dinners in the summer. I love to pick the cherry tomatoes and basil from our kitchen garden then cook it in a parchment pocket to preserve all the flavors and juices and serve with freshly grilled polenta. It goes great with a glass of chilled white wine!

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
  • 1 packaged cooked polenta log (16 or 18 ounces cut into 1/2-inch rounds)
  • 2 pounds cherry tomatoes (or 6 cups)
  • 7 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
  • 1 shallot (finely chopped)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 sprigs basil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

  2. Brush polenta rounds with olive oil and grill on the grill.  

  3. Very coarsely chop (do not purée!) 1 pound (or 3 cups) of cherry tomatoes in a food processor. 

  4. Cut remaining tomatoes in half (quarter if large) then combine in a bowl with 4 tablespoons olive oil and remaining ingredients, tossing to coat.

  5. Stack three sheets of parchment paper on a baking pan. Don't use foil because tomato acid will react with aluminum!

  6. Spoon tomato mixture onto one side of stacked parchment. 

  7. Fold parchment layers over the mixture and crimp edges tightly to form a sealed packet.

  8. Place the baking sheet with the tomato packet on the upper rack and bake for 20-25 minutes.  

  9. Spoon tomato sauce over polenta and serve with Kale & Pine Nut Stir Fry on the side.

BON APPÉTIT!