Hot polenta fritters with tzatsiki

I have stolen this recipe from Jamie Oliver.
Well, sort of.
I found his recipe for polenta fritters on Pinterest and tried it last Saturday. I fell in love with them at first bite.
So I made my version. Jamie Oliver mix Parmesan cheese and oregano in the polenta, and serve them with pesto.
I exchanged the cheese and oregano with Tabasco, resulting in something completely different.
Corn and Tabasco is always a good pairing, and my version might be classified as more Tex-Mex if it wasn’t for the dipping sauce.

I returned to the Mediterranean again and chose tzatziki.
Italy meets Tex-Mex meets Greece.

But why tzatziki?

Well, I like hot food but not too hot. I want to feel the taste of chili together with a soft rumbling heat in my mouth. Not that painful, sweat soaking I-think-I’m-going to die feeling you sometimes get with too much chili.
Yogurt is excellent at neutralizing some heat from the chilies, making it more pleasant.

If you mix it with cucumber and garlic, you’ll get the classic (and epic) dipping sauce tzatziki that is the perfect match to all sorts of grilled meat, vegetables, bread, but also hot food with lots of chilies.
Place one big bowl with polenta fritters together with plenty of Tzatziki in the middle of the table, and you’ll have the perfect starter for you and your chili-loving friends.
You can replace Tabasco with your favorite chili if you like. Or you can replace the chili with something else if some of your friends don’t like hot food.
Who knows, cilantro and cumin served with chunky guacamole or tomato sauce may be an excellent match. I mean, these fritters are so easy to make. Just boil a big batch of polenta and season it with whatever you like.
I would love to hear about your result.

Hot polenta fritters with tzatsiki

Hot polenta fritters with a cooling tzatziki. Italy meets Tex-Mex meets Greece. A perfect starter that can be varied endlessly.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Side Dish

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Polenta fritters

• 1 1/2 cup polenta plus 2 tablespoon extra for dusting
• 4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

Tzatziki

• 1 cup Yogurt greek, strained
• 1/4 cucumber
• 2 pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon oregano dried
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove grated

Instructions

 

Polenta fritters

• Bring water to boil and whisk in the polenta. Add salt and stir constantly. Add Tabasco when the polenta starts to thicken.
• Pour into a greased casserole. Try to distribute the polenta into an even thickness. Place in the fridge for an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF.
• Cut chilled polenta int strips, about 1/2 inch thick. Brush with oil an dust with the extra polenta. Distribute to a baking tray with parchment paper in one single layer.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until crisp and golden.

Tzatziki

• Grate the cucumber and place in a sieve. Add salt and stir. Let drain for an hour.
• Mix yogurt, oil, oregano, and garlic. Let it sit while you're waiting for the cucumber to drain.
• Combine the cucumber with the rest of the ingredients. Add lemonjuice and extra salt if needed.

Keyword side dish, starter

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!