Baked Polenta Wedges

 

¾ tsp. salt

1 cup cornmeal

¼ tsp. sugar

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. onion powder

1 T. olive oil or melted butter for prebake brushing

 

Lightly grease or coat with nonstick spray an 8- or 9-inch cake pan. In a medium saucepan, put on 1 ¾ cups of water to boil with the ¾ tsp. salt. In a bowl that will hold at least 3 cups of liquid, combine the cornmeal with the sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir the dry mix with a whisk to distribute. Add 1 cup of water to the mix, stirring to combine. When the water on the stove boils, slowly add the cornmeal mix, whisking as you do to prevent clumping. Continue cooking and whisking for several minutes (it may take anywhere from 3 to 6 minutes). When the mixture thickens enough so that a wooden spoon can stand up in it, it’s ready. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and smooth it as evenly as you can (I use a batter scraper). Let it set until cool, probably half an hour, though you can make this part up to a day ahead and then bake it when you’re ready. Keep in mind that if you store it in the refrigerator, the baking time will increase. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease the baking sheet you’ll use to bake the polenta. Brush a little oil or melted butter over the top of the polenta. (I haven’t been able to get a good browning with olive oil.) Turn the polenta out onto a plate and brush the other side. Slice on the diagonal to produce eight triangular wedges. (If using a square pan, use perpendicular lines to make rectangular wedges.) Carefully (they’ll be a little flimsy) place the wedges on your baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes on each side, or until the wedges begin to turn golden and a little crisp. If you don’t want to bake them, you can pan-fry them in the butter or olive oil as an alternative.  Serve with Red Pepper-Mango Coulis.