Polenta Canapés with Lemon-Basil Tapenade

I might be the last to know.

Precooked polenta – ready to heat and serve – is now available in (pretty much) every grocery store near you!

I don’t always pay attention to the packaged stuff but I’m glad I discovered these.  The precooked option opens up so many fun possibilities, including the flexibility of pulling together a delicious summer appetizer in a snap.

And how ca-uuute is this tube format — literally perfect for slicing up into disks for canapés.

Made from coarse stone-ground cornmeal, this polenta is naturally gluten-free and makes an ideal base for a platter of finger food.  Heating the pre-cooked polenta softens the texture somewhat and deepens its corn color – pretty!

I prefer using unflavored polenta (just the cornmeal/salt without the addition of herbs and spices) — that way you have more control over the flavor profile in the toppings, herbs and spices you choose.

Topping Alternates

Those of you who know me are aware that I was born with an olive in my mouth (with a heavy side of potato) (and maybe a cappuccino) so tapenade is my birthright.  But, if olive is not for you, (we can have a separate discussion around that later), a few alternate toppings to consider:

• sautéed mushroom
• bruschetta (or simply your favorite salsa)
• roasted summer tomatoes or red peppers
• sweet & savory relishes (seasonal fig or strawberry balsamic would be yum)
• bean purées (hummuses etc)

Lemon Basil:  bright lemon zest plays beautifully with the briny Mediterranean flavors of the olives in this easy breezy tapenade — and don’t miss out on the fresh basil! The characteristic peppery/anise flavor of this aromatic green is a big part of the taste experience; it really punches through in the best kind of way.

Tomatoes: our sweet California sungold tomatoes have been thriving since May; weirdly (or not for those who know more about this kind of thing), we did not replant this year — our tomatoes grew back from last year’s vines on their own accord!  It’s a total mystery because we do get frost in the winter; maybe overall it was a milder winter (?).  What a wonderful surprise and happy gift (we need those!).  Popping them into our mouths straight from the vine is probably our favorite thing to do but they’re also finding their way into salads, salsas and toppings of all kinds (so good); we also love them roasted with a little olive oil & sea salt.

Each batch is sous-chef approved.  Always.

Make-ahead: if you make the tapenade ahead of time, just store in fridge until you’re ready and then bring to room temp, give it a good stir and dress your canapés — assembly will be a snap.

Good cold too: something else that’s really awesome about this appetizer — even when the polenta cools, the bites are tasty and appetizing — I can’t say that about every appetizer but it works with this one; so there’s no rush to assemble and gobble while warm.  Take your time, sit back, relax and enjoy (just don’t skip the baking part though because this does soften and prepare the base nicely).

5.0 from 2 reviews

Polenta Canapés with Lemon-Basil Tapenade (GF, Vegan)

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Soft mounds of delicious lemon-basil tapenade sit atop baked polenta in this easy breezy summer appetizer. Naturally gluten-free, they are a snap to pull together!

Author: kelly

Serves: 24 pieces

Ingredients

• ✧ 1 package unflavored organic polenta (510 g / 1 lb.2 oz ready to heat & serve in a tube)
• ✧ Handful cherry tomatoes, (I'm using sungolds), quartered
• ✧ 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• ✧ Handful of small basil leaves (you could also use chopped fresh basil)
  
  
• Homemade Tapenade:
• ✧ 300 g / 10.5 oz pitted olives in oil -- (I used a container of pitted Jubilee olives by Dellalo net weight: 317 g / 11.2 oz with a mix of Kalamata olives and green olives)
• ✧ 2 tsp lemon zest
• ✧ 3 garlic cloves, or to taste, minced

Instructions

1. Make-ahead tapenade:
2. Place the pitted olives into a food processor (nb: I used about 2 Tbsp of the oil that the olives were marinading in - see ingredient list above for details. If you're using a different olive preparation that is not in oil, simply add about 2 Tbsp of olive oil to the processor with the olives).
3. Add lemon zest and garlic to processor alongside pitted olives and blend until desired consistency is achieved (stopping to scrap down as needed). You can keep your tapenade on the chunkier side or go with a smoother texture as preferred.
4. If you're making the tapenade ahead, simply store it in a sealed container in fridge and bring to room temperature when ready to assemble appetizers. Be sure to give the tapenade a good stir before topping the polenta pieces.
5. Meanwhile, for the baked polenta:
6. Heat oven to 350 F
7. Remove plastic from polenta and slice the tube into 12 disks of about ¼" thickness -- you want the slices to be thick enough to hold up to the topping without falling apart when you lift them but not so thick that they take away from the taste and texture of the topping. Too much polenta can be a bit pasty - so you're looking for that balance.
8. Cut the 12 disks in half for a total of 24 pieces (or whatever you wish to work with).
9. Place the polenta pieces onto a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes in the oven. The polenta will soften and deepen in color as it bakes.
10. Remove the baking sheet from oven and carefully transfer the polenta segments onto a serving platter.
11. Spoon some of the tapenade over each segment (I'm using about 1 tsp dollops) and then add a piece of tomato, a couple basil leaves and a pinch of lemon zest to finish. Delizioso!
12. Other options for garnish: micro-greens of any kind or sprouts.

Notes

Heating the polenta: heating the polenta helps soften the texture and deepen it's natural yellow color - if you don't want to turn on the oven, use the grill!
Herbs: whether you're using basil (works really well here) or some other herb, go for the freshest you can find to get that punch through flavor.

3.5.3251

morning coffee backyard friend ♥ captured by my husband