Polenta Napoleons

Panic? You betcha! When I first heard of this challenge, I did panic because I had no idea what I would be able to come up with. But when I looked in my pantry, I had many things just sitting there unused. I could probably come up with plenty more panic dishes because I tend to buy things in bulk and then forget about them. Cornmeal is one of those things that I have an abundance of, even though I don’t use it that often. When I go to the store, for some reason I can never remember that I have it and I will pick up a container. So as a result, I have tons of it. This challenge allowed me to get creative and use that cornmeal. Although I didn't come close to depleting my supply, I now have a renewed love of polenta. Thanks to Good Cook, I have the quality utensils I need to complete the process.

These napoleons would be perfect for a potluck, or anytime. They are quick and fairly simple to make. Serve them with a tossed green salad and you can’t go wrong. You can mix and match the ingredients for the filling as you see fit, but don’t forget the egg, that is what holds it together.

Polenta Napoleons
by Tracy

4 cups water
2 cups cornmeal
3 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups pitted Kalamata olives, drained
1 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained
1 8-ounce jar of marinated sun dried tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated
1 egg
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large sauce pan, bring water to a boil. Add the cornmeal and remove from heat. Stir in butter and salt. Set aside. In a food processor, pulse together the olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, cheese and egg. Pulse until they are chopped and mixed together.

Lightly spray your Good Cook Nonstick Mini Loaf 4 Cup Pan with cooking spray.

Using a Good Cook mini Silicone Spatula begin to assemble your napoleons. For each loaf, spread evenly 1/3 cup polenta on bottom of the pan. Then spread 1/3 cup of the olive mixture over the polenta. Do this twice. You should be showing the olive mixture at this point. Then using 1/2 cup of the polenta , gently finish them by spreading it evenly to cover the filling. Gently brush each loaf with the olive oil.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. When cooled, place a Good Cook Flexible Chopping Mat over the top of the loaf pan. Hold the mat in place, gently flip over the loaf pan and set on counter. The napoleons should come out very easily (you might have to shake the pan slightly.)  On the chopping mat, slice the napoleons with a serrated knife. Serve.