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Snack & Appetizers

Polenta Canapés with Lentils and Cotechino

Polenta canapés with lentils and cotechino sausage: an appetizer that gives a new look to the New Year's Eve trio of polenta, lentils and cotechino.
Recipe Polenta Canapés with Lentils and Cotechino
  • Difficulty Medium
  • Preparation 20 minutes
  • Cooking 30 minutes
  • Servings for 6 people

Imagine welcoming your guests with a warm polenta appetizer that captures all the aromas and atmosphere of the holidays: polenta canapés with lentils and cotechino are the perfect way to bring a classic to the table in an elegant, practical and inviting version. These rustic canapés were created precisely to turn the traditional pairing of polenta, lentils and cotechino, a rich Italian pork sausage, into finger food with polenta and legumes to share with friends and family at the big holiday dinner or on any special evening.

These easy polenta canapés will win over your loved ones with their soft topping of lentils and cotechino, set off by the crisp polenta, ready to hold every spoonful of tender topping. If you are wondering how to serve lentils with cotechino in an original, stylish way, this recipe is just right for you. A little creativity is all it takes to bring to the table cotechino and lentil canapés for the holidays that will amaze every guest and, thanks to their elegant presentation, are also perfect for a buffet or a friendly aperitivo.

Take inspiration from this cotechino appetizer idea and pair it with other stars of the holiday table, such as the classic Stewed Lentils or a flavorful Lentil Soup. For an even more rustic touch, you can vary your menu with Lentil and Mushroom Soup or, for a tasty idea with a melty heart, also serve some Polenta and Cheese Pandorini.

Get ready to make a canapé recipe for the holiday dinner that is welcoming, tasty and eye-catching all at once: your polenta and lentil appetizer will become a fixture of your most special evenings.

Ingredients for 6 people

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Method

  1. To make the polenta canapés with lentils and cotechino, boil a cotechino in a pot of water, following the instructions on the package. Rinse the lentils under running water and, after bringing some water to a boil in a pan, add the lentils and cook them for about half an hour. When they are ready, drain the lentils and season them to taste with salt, oil and rosemary.
  2. In a polenta pot or a large saucepan, bring a liter of salted water to a boil and slowly pour in the cornmeal, stirring constantly. Cook the polenta for the time shown on the package: 10 minutes for precooked polenta, or about 40 minutes for classic coarse-ground cornmeal; the important thing is to keep stirring.
  3. Take a sheet of parchment paper and, once the polenta is cooked, pour it onto the sheet and flatten it into a layer about 2 centimeters thick. Once the polenta has cooled, use a 6-centimeter round pastry cutter to cut out disks of polenta.
  4. Once you have cut out as many polenta shapes as possible, drizzle a skillet with a little oil and turn the disks in it. When you have seared them on both sides, place the polenta rounds on a serving plate. Slice the cotechino and cut each slice in half, then top half of each polenta disk with lentils and the other half with the sausage. At this point the polenta canapés with lentils and cotechino are ready to serve. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!
    Cotechino and polenta canapés

Variations and Alternatives

To make the polenta canapés with lentils and cotechino during the rest of the year too, you can replace the cotechino with sausage and the lentils with peas.

Tips

To make the polenta canapés with lentils and cotechino more quickly and easily, I recommend using an automatic polenta pot and instant polenta flour.

Storage

We recommend eating the polenta canapés with lentils and cotechino right away, without storing them in any way.

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