Polenta Croutons

I’ve been known to boldly say, “Bread makes the sandwich.” And today, I boldly say, “Croutons make the salad.” Scatter these on your favorite Caesar and you’ll be thanking me.

Eat your salad and add these croutons!

It could not be easier to make these, but you do need a pizza stone to get the nice chewy edges on the polenta.

Start with a store bought tube of regular polenta. 

Use a sharp knife and turn the tube shape into a rectangular shape. This will not only make it easier to cut the polenta into cubes, it will eliminate the coating that exists on the polenta. Cut the polenta into ½ inch cubes. Drizzle with ½-1 teaspoon olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Carefully place the polenta cubes on a smoking hot pizza stone. (Well, at least preheat your stone in a 450 degree oven.) Bake for about 15 minutes, then turn the cubes over and bake for another 15 minutes or until the polenta is nice and crisp.

I found the best way to turn the cubes over, is to put them back in a bowl, toss them a bit, and then pour them back on to the stone. CAREFUL! Everything is 450 degrees!

It’s difficult not to eat the entire batch of polenta croutons before they even make it to the salad!