Tomato Polenta Stacks

August 13, 2020

Tomato Polenta Stacks

It’s hot outside, and that means our motivation for cooking complex dishes is at an all time low. Queue: simple tomato polenta stacks with parmesan crisps and an arugula chimichurri to top. Sounds complicated? It isn’t. This dish comes together in about 20 minutes total, start to finish, and doesn’t require too much preparation or cooking time. Taking advantage of these peak summer flavors with minimal effort? Duh! Bring this dish to a social-distance gathering or savor it alone. Either spot, it will taste just as delicious no matter what!

Ingredients:

1 roll tubed polenta, sliced into 1” thick slices

5 heirloom tomatoes, slices into 1” thick slices

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 cups arugula

2 cloves garlic, peeled

¼ cup olive oil, plus more for brushing

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a silicon baking sheet, place 1 Tbsp. piles of grated parmesan cheese an inch from one another. Bake for 5-7 minutes until golden and crisp. Set aside and let cool.
2. Heat griddle or pan over medium. Brush polenta rounds with olive oil on both sides. Cook for five minutes on each side until browned and cooked through.
3. Blend arugula, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes (if using) until combined. Set aside and add salt and pepper to taste. 
4. To plate, begin with the polenta rounds on the bottom, parmesan crisps next, saving tomato slices for last. Drizzle chimichurri over the stacks and top with flaky sea salt and a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper.

Recipe and Photos by Local Roots Volunteer Jess Santoro (@jess_santoro)

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