Polenta Rounds (cont'd)
Sightly oil a square tray or dish and spread the polenta about 1 cm (3/8 inch) thick. Smooth the polenta top with a spatula wet in cold water. Let it cool for at least 2 hours or better overnight.
Preheat the oven grill for 10 minutes. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Remove peppers from the marinade and save it - you will need a bit of the marinade at the very end. Lay pepper quarters side by side on the baking tray. Grill peppers until their skins are covered with black specks and look charred. About 10 minutes. Remove peppers from the oven by lifting the aluminum foil from the baking tray. Fold it into a package with the peppers inside. The peppers will "sweat" inside the package until they are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Pulling the skin off will be much easier and less messier this way. Cut the grilled peppers into 1 cm (3/8 in) strips and set aside on a paper towel.
When polenta is cold and firm, cut rounds out of the polenta using a 7 cm (2 1/2 inch ) cookie cutter. You may also cut squares out of the polenta, if you prefer. Warm 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and fry the polenta rounds or squares until they are golden and crusty, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Add more olive oil if necessary and continue frying. Let polenta rounds cool on paper towels.
To assemble the dish:
Preheat the oven grill for 10 minutes. Arrange the polenta rounds or squares on a baking tray. Garnish each round with strips of roasted pepper, about 3 to 4 strips per round. Top each with a slice of the goat cheese. Put polenta rounds or squares under the grill and under watchful eyes let the goat cheese melt, about 3-4 minutes. Remove polenta from oven and drizzle it with the set aside balsamico-olive oil marinade. Serve it as an appetizer or with a green salad as a light lunch.