The hard work goes into preparing this firm polenta, but once it is cooked and set (which can be done well in advance) you only need to slice it, then grill, bake or fry the polenta slices to crisp them up. Polenta, or ground cornmeal, is naturally free of gluten so these make a wonderful crostini alternative with just about any kind of topping – but they are particularly good with something juicy like ragu or this mushroom topping.
In Italy, polenta generally comes in three different types: bramata, which has a coarse grain, and is good for making a firmer polenta; fioretto, a fine-grain cornmeal, ideal for soft, creamy polenta or for baking cakes or biscuits; and instant polenta. The instant variety is partially cooked, then dried again, and takes just minutes to prepare. What you make up for in time, however, you’ll lose in flavour and texture (much like quick cooking rice). I find it’s only really useful for baking into cakes if you can’t get the finer ground fioretto.