Recipe: Olive Paste Polenta

Olive Paste Polenta

La Cucina Italiana magazine offers these simple, authentic dishes of the Italian countryside. From fettunta, the quintessential way to savor new olive oil, to schiacciata alla Fiorentina, Tuscany's timeless sweet flatbread, the flavor of new olive oil shines through. Each recipe serves 8.

1/2 clove garlic, peeled
1 tsp. chopped Italian parsley
1 tbsp. grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
5 tbsp. heavy cream
cayenne pepper to taste
8 oz. black olive paste (1 cup)
1/2 cup pitted black olives (gaeta), halved
polenta prepared with 3 cups of corn meal

Place the garlic, parsley, Parmigiano, olive oil, cream, and cayenne pepper in a food processor; process until smooth. Add the olive paste and half of the olives; process until chunky. Prepare polenta and, when cooked, pour into a greased 8" bread pan. Refrigerate until firm. Turn polenta out of bread pan. Cut into 1/4" slices. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Layer the polenta: Spread each slice with olive paste. Stack three slices of polenta, and place all the stacks on a baking sheet. Top each with two halves of a black olive. Bake 30 minutes. Serve hot.

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