Help me with my polenta aversion!

[Jen]

I've tried, but I just can't get interested in polenta. It just seems so mushy and bland to me (how can you tell I'm not from the Southern U.S.?!). But I'm sitting here looking at the Polenta with Red Peppers and Fontina Cheese recipe (back to the best, August) and it looks good and easy! So many people like polenta - can it really be that bad? What am I missing?

This recipe looks like it might be a "not too polenta-y polenta dish" (:p ). Would this be a good recipe to try as in introduction to polenta? Or can you suggest another that might be good?

Thanks in advance,
Jen

[KValley]

Jen,

I recommend checking out some of these threads on polenta, particularly the one dealing with this recipe:
http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=12202&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

This Polenta with Red Peppers and Fontina Cheese is excellent, but I strongly encourage you to make your own polenta instead of buying the precooked polenta in the tubes- it makes all the difference. Home-cooked polenta is so easy! You can find it in the bulk section of your grocer's- allowing you to buy a small amount, just to try.

The previous thread on this dish contains a recipe I used to make a firm, flavorful polenta. Of course, the nature of polenta is that it is a base for whatever you top it with or bake into it- by itself it can be quite bland.

My DH had a polenta aversion, as well, until I began making my own. Now he loves it!

[SusieO]

Here is a very easy, basic recipe for Polenta from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. For the Polenta with Red Peppers and Fontina, I made the polenta myself (without butter or cheese), poured it into a loaf pan and chilled until it was hardened, then cut into slices. That definitely eliminates the mush factor. Also, you can add any of your favorite seasonings as it cooks to eliminate the blandness factor.

Polenta

Cleanup Tip: Almost inevitably some polenta sticks to the bottom of the cooking pot. To make it easier on the pot washer, fill the empty pot immediately with cold water and a few drops of detergent and let it soak for about an hour.

3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the cornmeal in a thin, steady stream while whisking briskly. Stir in the butter and optional crushed red pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until thickened. Polenta sputters as it cooks, so cover the pan when you're not stirring it. Remove from the heat, stir in the Parmesan, and serve.

Note: Finely ground cornmeal cooks very rapidly -- 5 minutes should do it. Coarse-textured cornmeal will take a longer time to cook, but many people prefer its texture.


If you're interested, this cookbook also offers recipes for Polenta with Endive and Broiled Polenta with Mushrooms and Cheese. I haven't tried either, but they look good!

[SusanMac]

Jen -- your aversion may have to do with the "mushy" aspect. I don't like the soft/mushy polenta, but LOOOOVE it when it's baked and firm. The consistency is closer to cornbread, rather than grits. So, even if you don't like it soft, try the firm kind and you might be hooked.

[KValley]

Originally posted by SusieO
If you're interested, this cookbook also offers recipes for Polenta with Endive and Broiled Polenta with Mushrooms and Cheese. I haven't tried either, but they look good!

Susie, I'd be very interested in those recipes, when you get a chance. I love Moosewood and I think I should just pay a visit to half.com for this cookbook!!

TIA, Julie

Susie! Wait! Stop! I have this cookbook! I'm such a geek :o

[SusieO]

Julie, you crack me up. Let me know if you try either of these recipes. Moosewood Cooks at Home is my all-time favorite cookbook, which is obvious from the condition of the binding (it's falling apart), but there are still recipes from it on my to-try list.

[gertdog]

Jen,

My DF isn't a polenta fan either. But he'll eat it if it's firm and a little crispy on the outside. If you're not ready to venture into making your own polenta yet, you might try the tube polenta, cut into slices and then sauteed in a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray until crisp and golden on both sides. It's an extra step, but it adds minimal fat and maximal texture. It helps evaporate some of the water that can lead to a mushy texture.

I really like polenta (homemade or from a tube) prepared this way and topped with roasted vegetables or whatever. I also "crisped" the homemade polenta I used the last time I made the Polenta with Fontina and Roasted Peppers, and I thought it added nicely to the dish.

[Lynn B]

Jen,

I totally sympathize! I had a polenta aversion myself for YEARS!!!! (I think part of it was that my mother called it "mush" all during my growing up years! Now WHO wants to eat ANYTHING called MUSH, I have to ask?!!! :eek: )

BUT, I did overcome the aversion, and now I LOVE it!!! But, as mentioned above, I do not care for the prepackaged in-a-tube kind, either. To me, it just cannot compare to homemade.

One of my favorite polenta recipes is the sweet polenta pudding w/ blueberry sauce from the microwave article of several issues ago. You might try that. (And it's soooo easy!) It's a little "different" way to enjoy it... and it may be helpful if you think of it as a pudding-y "dessert".

Keep trying... soon you'll be a full-fledged polenta-lover, too! :)

Lynn

[Wendy w]

Originally posted by SusieO
Julie, you crack me up. Let me know if you try either of these recipes. Moosewood Cooks at Home is my all-time favorite cookbook, which is obvious from the condition of the binding (it's falling apart), but there are still recipes from it on my to-try list.

This is one of my favorite cookbooks too and mine is in the same type of state as yours is! I especially love the pepper soup and the antipasta salad. I have never had polenta in my life, even though I consider myself to be an adventurous eater, something about it just doesn't appeal to me. BF has eyed a couple of recipes. One of these days, I may make some for him.

[Jen]

Thanks everyone! I think part of my problem is I'm from Canada - we don't eat grits or anything like them up here. So polenta is relatively new...it's only been around for the last 5-10 years, since it became "trendy". I hate it when food is trendy and I don't like it! There are so many good recipes that I miss out on! (Eggplant is another good example...but that's for another thread!)

I think I'll try the red pepper/cheese recipe first, since it sounds easy - I don't want to invest too much time to find out I'm going to hate it! And that recipe has received good reviews. I'll either make my own, or use gertdog's suggestion to pan-fry it first. That sounds more appetizing to me!

Thanks guys! :)