Polenta Canapés with Lemon-Basil Tapenade (GF, Vegan)
 
Prep time
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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:
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.
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2020/07/polenta-canapes-with-lemon-basil-tapenade.html