Polenta - what's the skinny?

[comabri]

OK. So I'm looking through my new CL Complete Cookbook and I stumble upon several recipes for polenta. I haven't been sheltered all of my life - but I've never tried polenta. What's the deal? Is it that easy of a recipe? Is it meant to be served as a base or can it be eaten alone? Is it nutritious?

Wow. I hope I'm onto something here. If it's as tasty as it looks, (the mushroom topped polenta looks delicious) and as easy-to-make as it sounds, then I think I've found myself a new staple in my kitchen.

Comments anyone?

[sneezles]

Polenta is very much like grits except that it is made with yellow corn. I to have been tempted to try some of the recipes in that book. We're not big fans of grits so I'm hoping that you get some very positive feedback on this thread and then maybe I'll be adventerous one day!

[Ohioan]

Polenta, in some ways, is like potatoes: it can be a base for other food, or, with flavoring mixed in, a side dish in its own right.

The basis of polenta is cornmeal, which can be ground fine, medium, or coarse. Go for the fine or medium. Figure on four parts water to one part polenta. Start the water boiling, and then very slowly dribble the polenta into the water, stirring constantly to keep it from lumping up. (Some people start by bringing three of the four parts of the water to a boil, mixing the fourth part with the polenta, and then adding the mixture to the boiling water. I just dribble -- the polenta, that is. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif ) Lower the heat to a simmer, and keep stirring as the polenta cooks. Depending on the type of polenta, you may have to keep stirring constantly, or you may just have to stir it every few minutes.

Regular polenta will normally take about 30 minutes to cook, but there's also something called "instant" polenta that takes only five minutes. The tradeoff is that although it doesn't take as long, it has to be stirred constantly, and you may even have to mash occasional lumps against the side of the pan as it cooks.

Usually, I just salt the cooking water and then add flavors later in the toppings. But you can also add herbs, cheese, tomato sauce, etc., as the polenta cooks to make it a free-standing side dish.

There's also a kind of pre-cooked polenta that's sold in plastic-wrapped cylindrical blocks. You can slice it and/or mash it and then just heat it up. But I haven't found any of these prepared polentas to have much taste.

You can serve the polenta hot (like pasta, potatoes, or rice) with any kind of topping; the texture will be soft, althoug I'd say closer to mashed potatoes than to grits. Or you can let it cool -- or even chill it in the refrigerator -- so that it firms up, and then you can slice it and fry, bake, or broil it. Or again, you can spread it in a pie pan or on a pizza pan, bake it until it's crisped up, and then use it as a pizza shell.

Polenta goes great with roasted or stewed veggies, with chili beans, and with deep-flavored gravies of any kind.

Here endeth the little treatise on polenta. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif

Phoebe

[sneezles]

OK so I live in Texas and where they serve grits they are usually Hominy Grits which comes from corn. Your suggestions, Pheobe, has piquied my interest even more since it sounds like when you slice the cold polenta it would be closer to griddle cakes...a big favorite for Sunday breakfast in our house!

[JJeannette]

Sneezles, polenta is a lot like cornmeal mush, so it would be good fried and served with syrup.

BTW, thanks for reminding me of polenta--we're eating a lot of tomato based things lately, and rice is getting a bit old.

[Teresa]

Gotta love polenta. I always serve it with chili con carne - yum. Leftovers are good fried in butter or grilled. Top with parmesan for savoury or maple syrup for a swwet tooth or a tomato based mixture like ragout or antipasto.

[comabri]

Wow. It does sound like this is a very versatile dish/ingredient. I'll try this weekend and let you all know. I've got to try the mushroom topped polenta from the cookbook. (Can't remember the name of the recipe right now.)

Thanks all!

[JeanneW]

I've been intrigued by polenta too and haven't had the courage to try it yet. Coambri, please post your review of the polenta mushroom recipe. If it turns out well, I'd love the recipe. We're crazy about mushrooms! Thanks.

[mikecox]

Originally posted by sneezles:
not big fans of grits

Me neither! But I love Polenta!

[pmmahan]

Speaking of polenta, the Polenta with Wild Mushroom Sauce from the Complete CL cookbook was fantastic! I made it last night and it was wonderful. Went really well with Merlot.

[comabri]

I will let you know. I don't think I'll be able to wait until this weekend. This recipe is calling out to me...

[jillmayre]

I like to serve my favorite Mushroom-Artichoke-Black Olive Pasta Sauce over polenta. This is a great thick sauce, chunky with the vegetables. It is excellent!

Also, I have a spicy Teriakyi Mushroom recipe that is good over polenta.

[Ohioan]

Ooooo, Jillmayre, could you pretty please post your recipes for those sauces? They sound yummy.

Phoebe

[JennyLiz]

You have to try the following recipe for polenta. This, served with Turkey Sausage and peas, is my favorite "no time to cook" meal. -JennyLiz

Microwave Polenta
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) chicken broth
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 1/2 cups milk (I use skim)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Whisk broth and cornmeal in a large microwaveproof bowl. Whisk in milk and pepper. Microwave on high 9 minutes. Whisk again; microwave 9 minutes more, until thickened. Whisk cheese into polenta. (I divide among 4 shallow serving bowls and top each serving with 2 sausages.)

Note: I usually half the recipe and cook the polenta for about 4 minutes; stir; cook about 4 more minutes. Microwaves vary, so check it often the first time you make this.