• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Easy and Delish

Healthy Global & Brazilian Food Made Easy & Delish

  • About
    • Meet Denise!
    • COOKBOOK
    • Contact
    • Press
  • All Recipes
  • BRAZILIAN FOOD
  • Resources
  • Conversions
    • How Many Sticks of Butter in a Cup?
    • How Many Teaspoons in a Tablespoon?
    • Temperature Conversion (Chart & Calculator)
    • US Cups to Ounces to Grams for Common Ingredients (Charts)
    • Volume Conversions (Table for Dry & Liquid Ingredients)
    • Baking Substitutions (with Charts & Tables)
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Português
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Home > Appetizers > Christmas Fried Polenta (Polenta Frita)

Christmas Fried Polenta (Polenta Frita)

December 5, 2012 by Denise Browning 6 Comments / THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE SALES LINKS. PLEASE SEE MY _FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY_ FOR DETAILS

Gluten FreeVegetarian

As I have stated many times before, I love corn as well as most dishes made from it, both savory and sweet. I especially love Fried Polenta or Polenta Frita! It is both an excellent appetizer and side dish.

Since I have presented a corn-based dessert recently — Corn Crème Brulée, this time I’d like to share with you a very easy-to-make, delicious Christmas appetizer to impress your guests: Christmas Fried Polenta or Fried Polenta decorated for Christmas.

Fried Polenta is a very popular side dish in Southern Brazil as well as at Brazilian steakhouses (churrascarias) in the US. It’s usually cut either in a triangular or rectangular shape, but because of the joyous holiday season I am using a star-shaped cookie cutter for ours.

Before we start, here are a few important tips to keep in mind:

1. Make your polenta four to six hours in advance or buy a packaged prepared one. Why? Because when first prepared, polenta has an oatmeal-like consistency, and needs a few hours to solidify enough for pan-frying.

2. Cut polenta into 3/4 to 1-inch-thick pieces, which is sufficiently thick to support topping with sauce or other moist ingredients without becoming soggy.

3. Pan-fry in butter, oil, or a mixture of both in a non-stick pan, which prevents the polenta from sticking to the pan and helps brown the exterior more quickly.

4. If pan-frying several pieces at the same time, use a large skillet to give the pieces  enough room to crispen properly (but avoid the temptation of overcrowding the pan or else the polenta will ended up soggy instead of crispy).

Alright now, let’s roll up our sleeves…

Enjoy our fried polenta, the star of the party!!!

xx

Pan-Fried Polenta

Yield:  Homemade polenta (9 medium or 24 mini stars);

Store-Bought Polenta (6 medium stars)

Segment: Brazilian Cuisine (Appetizer)

Fried Polenta

Fried Polenta

Ingredients:

4 cups homemade polenta (recipe follows)  or use a packaged prepared polenta (Traditional or Basil Garlic)

About 1 tablespoon olive oil per slice for pan-frying

Cherry tomatoes (yellow and red)

Fresh basil

Crumbled goat cheese to decorate (for a dairy-free and/or vegetarian version, omit the cheese or use a soy-based crumbled cheese)

Salt

Directions:

1. Lightly oil an 12 x 9-inch baking dish. Transfer the hot polenta to the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly to about 3/4 to 1-inch thick. Refrigerate until cold and firm, for at least  4-6 hours. Note: If using a store-bought polenta (Traditional or Basil Garlic), just slice the polenta in 3/4 to 1-inch thick circles (thick enough not to get soggy); then, follow the instructions below.

2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).

3. Cut the polenta into star shapes using a cookie cutter. Heat enough oil to lightly cover the bottom of a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches (do not overcrowd the pan or polenta will steam instead of browning), pan-fry the polenta pieces until golden brown on both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side.

star-shape polenta being fried in a pan

 4. Using a metal spatula, transfer carefully the polenta pieces to paper towels and drain.

fried polenta in a platter

5. Place the polenta pieces on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while cooking the remaining batches.

6. Transfer the fried polenta pieces to a serving platter. Top the fried polenta with tomato halves and a few leaves of basil, and sprinkle with the crumbled goat cheese and a dash of salt. Serve fried polenta immediately either alone or with a Chimichurri Sauce or Pesto Sauce on the side. Bom apetite!

NOTE: The yield will vary depending on:

1. If the polenta was homemade or store-bought.

2. The size of the cookie cutter that was used to cut the pieces.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

For the Homemade Polenta:

Yield: About 4 cups

Ingredients:

4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or 1/4 teaspoon if you prefer your polenta less spicy

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 oz ( about 55 gr.) soft goat cheese**

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese**

1 tablespoon unsalted butter**

**For both a dairy-free and vegetarian version, omit these ingredients or use their dairy-free version.

OR

Use a packaged prepared polenta (Traditional or Basil Garlic), which should be sliced in 1-inch circles and then, cut into a star shape using a cookie cutter.

Directions:

In a large heavy stainless steel* saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add both the salt and red pepper flakes. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal (4:1 is the right ratio of water to cornmeal). Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the cheese and the butter, and stir until smooth.

* Never whisk in an aluminum saucepan or the result will be a grayish mess caused by scratching the pan with the whisk. Because of chemical contamination, the mixture will have to be discarded.

garnished fried polenta in a platter

Related Posts

  • A bunch of food and drink in a photo collage for Christmas
    35 Christmas Recipes Round-Up

    Hello, dear readers! I am so excited… We will be celebrating Christmas in just a couple of…

  • 15-inexpensive-christmas-food-gifts
    15 Inexpensive Christmas Food Gifts

    Ho, Ho, Ho... As I promised in our last post, Peppermint Snowflake Bark & 10 Holiday Money…

  • Polenta-with-rustic-chicken-stew
    Polenta with Rustic Chicken Stew (Xerém com Frango Ensopado)

    Creamy polenta with rustic chicken stew is an easy, hearty, and comforting meal. A rewarding…

Filed Under: Appetizers, Brazilian Recipes, Christmas, Gluten-Free, Quick & Easy, Recipes, South, Vegetarian Tagged With: Brazilian Cuisine

Subscribe

for your weekly recipe fix.

Please read our privacy policies before subscribing

Previous Post: « Shrimp Pizza Recipe on a Budget
Next Post: Chocolate-Prune Bundt Cake with Coconut Glaze »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Peggy

    December 6, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    You definitely made polenta the star of the party here! Looks so festive =)

    Reply
    • Denise Browning

      December 6, 2012 at 10:26 pm

      Thanks, Peggy! That was really my intention. Thanks for stopping by. xx

      Reply
  2. Julia | JuliasAlbum.com

    December 8, 2012 at 7:01 am

    These polenta stars are so pretty! They will work great at any cocktail party, too. I usually cook my own polenta and really enjoy it with heavy cream or Mascarpone cheese.

    Reply
    • Denise Browning

      December 8, 2012 at 4:35 pm

      Thanks, Julia! I think they work well in a cocktail party too.
      I absolutely love polenta…I have just shaped and decorated it in a festive way. I am glad that you like it. Thanks for stopping by!!! xx

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 101 Christmas Party Food Ideas | The Adventure Bite says:
    November 22, 2020 at 4:38 pm

    […] Christmas Fried Polenta is sure to be the tastiest snack idea you have on your table!  Your guests will love this delicious Christmas Party Food Idea! Get Recipe Here. […]

    Reply
  2. 101 Christmas Party Food Ideas | The Adventure Bite says:
    December 3, 2020 at 11:47 am

    […] Christmas Fried Polenta is sure to be the tastiest snack idea you have on your table!  Your guests will love this delicious Christmas Party Food Idea! Get Recipe Here. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




 

Primary Sidebar

Search This Site:

Hi, I’m Denise Browning!

I'm a professional Chef with an expertise in Brazilian food. I am also a busy mom of two girls, living in Texas. Here you will find budget-friendly, healthy Brazilian and Global Recipes made Easy and Delish! I'd love to help you feed your family healthy dinners (many low carb) with a few splurges because life is all about balance! Join our community and happy cooking!

About Me

ORDER NOW!

Cover of The Complete 5-Ingredient Cookbook by Denise Browning

GET YOUR COPY NOW!

The easy keto dessert ebook cover

Recipe Key

Gluten FreeDairy FreeNut FreeSugar FreeLow CarbVegetarianVeganWhole30PaleoKeto
Subscribe for FREE Email Updates
Receive EASY & DELISH recipes for free every week! Please check our PRIVACY POLICY!
Marketing by
Click here & join us on PINTEREST

Visitors by Country

free counters
  • PortuguêsPortuguês

Footer

Featured in

Recipes | Brazilian Recipes | Contact | Privacy Policy

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2021 · All Rights Reserved