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Take a delightful dip into this tasty tapenade from the kitchens of  nosphaer

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(Gah! I need a better camera! :c)

_{Before I get started, I need to remember that pre-made polenta is far from available worldwide... I know it's sometimes hard to find it in my own area as well... The polenta I normally get when I'm not in the mood to bake my own is a firm version, whose packaging is like a hybrid of tofu's and a standard sausage's...}

While I doubt it's worthwhile to order it online, here's the stuff I'm using today. http://www.polenta.net/product/Traditional-Polenta

Polenta is undeniably simple to make... As it is merely a thick porridge made with milled corn, that is baked and cooled. It then can replace pasta or another starchy, bulky food easily.

Past the info, here's the recipe vvvvvvvvvvvv

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Hey there! I remembered making this once, and missed the taste... When I saw the tube of polenta in the fridge, I just had to go ahead and try this recipe again, remembering to copy down my steps.

The tapenade is great for parties, as it is like your usual salsa, but brings a more rounder range of flavors and compatibility.

Ingredients in order of use.

3 Large Poblano Peppers. (Stores may call them "pasilla". This is incorrect, yet it's a vastly misused term. They're large, often dark green, and roughly heart shaped.)
1 full Head of Garlic, separated to cloves with each one peeled.
2 TBsp. Olive Oil (When I came up with this I use garlic and rosemary-infused oil, luckily, I still had some left today)
1 TBsp. Balsamic Vinegar
[b1 to 2 tsp. Fresh-Ground Black Pepper.[/b]
1 TBsp Salt (I'd prefer a sea variety, though I used Kosher today)
2 Cups Canned "Tomato Sauce" (I know, I cheated... And don't confuse this with a legitimate pasta sauce... This is just that soupy stuff that rests next to tomato paste)
1/2 Cup. Raw Cashews. * (For accuracy's sake, I used the Cashew "pieces" from a bulk bin, so putting whole, raw cashews in a sack and smacking them with a tenderizer before measuring would work out here)
1/4 Cup Textured Vegetable Protein (Also called "TVP" or "Textured Soy Protein"... Instructions often include putting it in warm water to expand, but for this recipe, you must measure and add it in while dry.)
5 to 8 Sun Dried Tomato "Halves" (To clarify, get a variety stored in olive oil)
18 oz. Polenta. (Preferably, for accuracy to the recipe, use a refrigerated, in-tube variety, or freshly baked and hardened polenta)
Butter or Olive Oil (For frying... No more than 2 or 3 Tablespoons.)
Whipping Cream * (For finishing the dish as you serve it... No more than a few teaspoons to a plate; It's completely optional)


Preparation

Begin by Washing your hands <3

While doing so, you can rinse off your peppers, but do not remove any portion of them. You will be fire-roasting the peppers for this recipe. This is easily done by putting a gas burner to High-Heat (An electric oven set to its highest temperature will work if the pepper is placed directly on the rack. Some even say that electric burner will work when set to high heat) and gripping a pepper in tongs, hovering the flesh close to the flame and turning it as each exposed area eventually chars and blackens. Once a pepper is mostly blackened, place it in a paper lunch bag or a plastic grocery bag (personally, I don't trust the idea of using a plastic bag for a moment, but most chefs don't seem to care about this), and leave it there until the pepper has cooled entirely. Do this with each pepper, and after cooling, pull out the stem, tear the pepper open, peel off as much of the skin as you can, and pull out the seeds (Do -NOT- rinse the peppers). Slice the peppers into strips and place them into a food processor or blender with the biggest or most efficient blade-attachments. Add in the garlic, oil, salt, and pepper, then pulse the mixture until you get something that looks rough and choppy, but do not puree the ingredients. Add in your tomato sauce and pulse to combine, following that with the cashews and TVP. Pour the mixture out into a small or medium pot and heat over medium or med-low heat. While the tapenade is heating, thickly julienne your sun-dried tomatoes, as the strips are consistent in size, you should get roughly 20 out of the tomatoes. Add these to the mix and stir briefly. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of butter (most fat will do here, though I wanted butter's flavor for this recipe) over high heat and ready your polenta by slicing it into rounds, 1/2-inch thick and 5/2 inches in diameter. Fry the polenta to a darker shade of gold, and keep an eye open for slightly crisped edges, as they're often signs of a nearing doneness. When firmed up and crisp on the outside, the polenta is done. Dry the polenta briefly on a paper towel and plate it over, under, or around your tapenade. In the case of this use, definitely serve the dish hot.

_{I'll be honest. The polenta isn't the star of the dish, but it ties it together. The tapenade here can be used just as any other... It can also hold the place of a ragu, or other meaty sauce, and it can be used as a basic flavor-spread on a sandwich. I trust that the polenta isn't great enough in volume to take up all the tapenade, and I recommend getting ready for leftovers, which you should store by refrigerating the spread for up to two weeks in an airtight container. Or freezing it to store for a few months...}

*Allergen Warning:
Contains Nuts (Cashews)
Optionally contains Dairy

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MAN AM I TIRED... I apologize in advance of any typos or plainly confusing grammar... Send any questions to the comment box... I'll gladly answer in the morning. I'll not send this one in to the FACCC 'til morn' either.

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Please fave and comment on the original submission here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6085981/

Allergy warning – recipe contains nut & dairy products