Homemade Grit Cakes

By: Alli from An Open Cookbook

These Homemade Grit Cakes are a perfect beginning to your evening. Lightly flavored with fresh parsley and garlic, they are an open canvas for any topping you want to use. This recipe calls for roasted red peppers and freshly grated Parmesan, but feel free to layer them with any colorful topping.

Notes

For more recipes from Alli, be sure to check out her Featured Foodies profile page.

Yields18 cakes

Ingredients

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 cups water, to be used throughout the cooking process
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
Olive oil
Roasted red peppers, thinly sliced
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Instructions

In a medium to large pot, pour in the cornmeal, vegetable broth, 1 cup water, garlic, pepper and salt. Turn on the heat to medium. Continuously begin to stir the mixture as it begins to bubble and cook. The mixture will begin to get dry and blend together, so gradually add in the remaining cup of water, little by little. Keep stirring for 10 minutes and until all the water is used. The grits should be pretty thick after 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley.
Tear off a large piece of parchment paper. Carefully pour the grits onto the center of the parchment. Using the paper, form the grits into a long roll shape, similar to a roll of slice and bake cookies. Keep the wrapping around the grits. Pinch the paper on both ends and secure with clothespins or tape. Place on a platter or plate and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes until it has solidified enough that you can cut into slices.
Slice into 1/4-inch slices and heat a medium sauté pan on medium heat. Add in olive oil and sauté the polenta circles for a few minutes on each side. Remove from heat, top with thinly sliced roasted red peppers and fresh Parmesan. Sprinkle with any remaining fresh parsley.