Instant Pot Minty Grilled Polenta Recipe
This grilled Polenta is a healthy vegetarian side dish, flavored with herbs and garlic and is so easy to make. It goes really well with your barbeque main dishes, add a nice salad to the course to make a complete wholesome meal. Polenta is a dish from Northern Italy. Polenta is made from cornmeal but it was originally made from other grains. It may be served as a hot porridge, or it may be refrigerated to be set into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled.In this recipe that I have created, I first cooked the polenta in the Instant pot which makes life so much easier as it is a breeze to cook it in the Instant Pot. I then let it set and then pan grilled it to give a nice smoky texture that helps add a lot of character to the finished dish.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 91kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp butter, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tspn minced rosemary, fresh
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tspn Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 sprig fresh mint leaves finely chopped
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup 1 % milk
- 1 cup medium or coarse cornmeal/polenta (5 ounces; 140g)
- 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese or fontina cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil for grilling
Instructions
- Step1: Sauté herbs and spices:Plug in the Instant Pot and remove the lid. Turn the Instant pot on and press the “Saute” mode, then press adjust and put it on high. Now add olive oil and butter. Add garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Sauté for a few seconds. Now add mint and rosemary, and sauté for few seconds.Step2: Add milk and broth:Add the vegetable broth and the milk and combine everythingStep3: Add polenta/cornmeal: Slowly whisk in the polenta/cornmeal. Combine everything. Step4: Setting the Instant pot/ Pressure Cooker: Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock it, switch the “Steam release handle” to Sealing/Close. Now press the “Pressure cook/Manual” function. Adjust the time using the “+ or -” key and select 0 minutes of cooking time. The default pressure level is set to “High” so don’t change it, change it to “High” incase it is set on “Low”. Once you select the time, wait till it says “ON” on the screen. Now the pressure will build and once the pressure builds, the timer will start counting down from 0. Since our cook time is only 0 minutes, the Instant Pot will beep a few times and automatically switch to “Keep Warm” mode. Now do the “Natural Pressure Release” (NPR-do not release pressure) for 10 minutes, after 10 minutes do “Quick Pressure Release” (Release Pressure). Once the pot has released the pressure and the safety pin has dropped, carefully open the lid.Step5: Add butter:Press the cancel button on Instant pot to come out of the warm mode and select "Saute" button. Slowly stir in butter and combine. If polenta forms lumps, beat vigorously with a stiff whisk to remove the lumps. If polenta becomes too firm or begins to set, add a small amount of water, stock, or milk and beat in with a whisk until liquid is fully incorporated and no lumps remain. Step6: Add cheese: Add the cheese and stir to combine. You can serve polenta just like this but if you wish to grill it then follow the steps below. Step7: Transfer polenta in spring pan: Now remove the inner pot from the instant pot/ pressure cooker. Pour cooked polenta into the springform pan. Refrigerate until firm. About an hour.Step8: Remove Polenta from pan: Remove the polenta from the fridge one hour before grilling it. Loosen the edges of the polenta from the pan using a knife and open the springform. Step9: Remove Polenta from pan: Cut polenta into wedges, using a sharp knife (or whatever shape you prefer). Step10: Grill PolentaPut wedges of polenta on a grill or a pan. Add oil to the pan and grill polenta wedges a few minutes on each side until heated through and gets a nice golden crust on the top.Step11: Serve:Serve hot immediately. Serve as a side or an appetizer. Enjoy!
Notes
You will need at least an hour for the polenta to firm up in the fridge.