Roast Vegetable Polenta Bites

Makes about 30 bites

Ingredients

• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ red onion, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
• 1 portobello mushroom, chopped into ½ inch pieces
• 2 Tomatoes, sliced into rounds
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• A splash of balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup of polenta
• 2 teaspoons of salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
• 10 basil leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. On a parchment-covered sheet pan, place the chopped red onion in one corner and the chopped bell pepper in the other corner. Sprinkle each vegetable with a quarter of the minced garlic and toss with a big glug of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
3. Add the chopped portobello and toss it with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and a splash of balsamic. Lay the tomato slices next to the mushrooms and sprinkle with the remaining garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
   Return the pan to the oven and roast for another 25 minutes.
4. Bring 3 cups of water with 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil. Whisk in 1 cup of polenta and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. After 5 minutes take pan off the heat, stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, another teaspoon of salt, and cover. Let sit for 2 minutes.
5. Chiffonade the basil. Stir the vegetables, basil, and the parmesan into the cooked polenta and then spread the polenta onto a greased sheet pan, forming a 3/4 inch high slab of polenta.
6. Let cool for 2 hours.
7. When ready to serve, turn on your broiler. Cut the polenta into bite sized pieces (I use a round cookie cutter). Spray the bottom of a sheet pan with cooking oil and place the polenta pieces on it. Spray the polenta bites too and place in the broiler. Broil for 3 minutes a side and then serve hot or room temperature.