Mediterranean Polenta

I bought a bag of Bob's Red Mill polenta a few weeks back, just dying to
experiment with a Mediterranean take on this traditional food, based on
simple ground corn.  My family gave this dish a thumbs up--the Mediterranean flavors of capers, oregano, garlic and olives shine through, and best of all it's a cinch! To top it off, polenta is a whole grain, which will help you meet those hard-to-get whole grain servings.  And the tomatoes bring up the antioxidant power in this plant-based meal.  If you include dairy, you can sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over it for extra flavor appeal.

Mediterranean Polenta

1 cup polenta, dry
4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 small yellow bell pepper, diced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 small cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons capers, drained
1/4 cup Mediterranean olives, whole
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano, dried
Black pepper, as desired
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice

1. In a 2 quart baking dish, stir together polenta, water, salt and 1
teaspoon olive oil.  Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.
2. About 40 minutes after baking, heat remaining olive oil in pan and sauté onions, pepper, mushrooms, and garlic until crisp tender--about 5 minutes.
3. Add capers, olives, seasonings and tomatoes.  Stir together and cook on low for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Remove polenta from oven and top dish with tomato sauce.  Serve
immediately.

Note:  If you consume dairy products, you can garnish with grated Parmesan cheese. 


Tuesday, December 11, 2012