Polenta Rounds with warm Goat Cheese
Serves: 4
Preparation time: about 1 hour plus Polenta cooling time (about 2hrs)
Crostini di Polenta al Formaggio di Capra, a tasty little dish we once had as a first course in the restaurant La Galleria in Poggibonsi south of Florence. The mild flavors of the Polenta contrast with the roasted peppers and piquant taste of the slightly molten goat cheese.
Ingredients:
- 1 small green pepper, seeded and quartered
- 1 small red pepper, seeded and quartered
- 1 small yellow pepper, seeded and quartered
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 150 gr (1 cup) polenta
- 600 ml (2 1/2 cup) of water
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 soft goat cheese log, about 150 gr (6 oz) cut into 1 cm (3/8 inches) rounds
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Olive oil for frying
- Salad greens to serve
Preparation:
Start by mixing the balsamic vinegar and olive oil into a marinade. Put it into a bowl and add the green, red and yellow pepper quarters. Give it a stir and let it marinade for at least 30 minutes. Set aside.
In the meantime make the polenta. Bring the 600 ml (2 1/2 cups) water to a boil. Add polenta by the stream, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Bring to a rapid boil. Lower the heat to a bare simmering. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring at all times making sure that polenta does not burn or sticks too much to the bottom of the pot. Add the 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese and give it a good stir. Taste for salt.