Grilled Polenta

I have always liked Polenta, the pleasant texture when you first make it, soft and warm it works so well with so many dishes.  Put it along side meat or with sauteed fresh vegetables on top and it is comfort food personified.  Even better the next day, I like to grill it as a side dish, but really this could have been the center of the plate.   The Polenta was simple.

1 cup polenta

2 cloves fresh garlic

1 tsp fresh oregano minced

1 tsp fresh basil minced

2 green onions

2 cups boiling water

Once water is boiling add the herbs then slowly add the polenta stirring constantly (or you get lumps) have some additional water ready in case it gets too thick,  once it has cooked for a few minutes poor it into a baking pan lined with plastic wrap.  Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight...

I was going to top this with asparagus and tomatoes but the produce store that I go to didn't have asparagus so I served it with grilled tomatoes and baby bok choy.  I sliced a tomato and cut the bok choy in half, and brushed them with olive oil to get them ready.  This is topped with a balsamic reduction, this is the easy part, but it really makes the dish:

1 TBL brown sugar

2 TBL balsamic vinegar

More or less anyway, I didn't measure... depending on the balsamic that you get it could vary greatly... cook until it is reduced by about a third and slightly thickened.  While the vinegar is on the stove brush the polenta with olive oil and grill then add the veggies cook over a low heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side.  That is it absolutely wonderful with the sweet balsamic.