Polenta!

I discovered polenta about a year ago.  I had never eaten it before.  I bought a premade hard polenta from the store that you just had to warm up...  I really didn’t care for it.  Thankfully I didn’t give up on it either.  I tried making creamy polenta months later, and our house has never been the same! 

It has become a staple food for our family.  It’s fast to make, cheap, and really tasty.  It’s also very versatile – polenta is a blank canvas you can add any flavor to.  You can make anything from plain polenta, to mushroom and herb, to chorizo.  And I like all of them!

If you are not familiar with polenta, it is a starch made of cornmeal.  It is a great side to pretty much any meal.  It is basically the Italian version of grits, and eaten for dinner instead of breakfast. (don’t tell the Italians that though… they think it’s special. …sorry mother-in-law) It’s smooth, kinda creamy, and can take on a lot of different flavors.  It’s also very hearty and satisfying, which I really like about it.  Here is a basic one.  I will post some of my favorite variations throughout the next month or two. ( I kinda forgot to write them down!  Oops!)

Basic Creamy Polenta

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup fine ground corn meal*

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

Salt and pepper

Bring the stock to a boil and add the garlic cloves.  Add salt to the stock if it is reduced sodium.  When the stock is at a boil, whisk in the cornmeal, adding it slowly to avoid lumps.  When it starts to thicken, switch to a spoon and stir until cooked, 5-10 min usually, depending on your cornmeal.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

*I use fine ground cornmeal that I bought in the international section.  I buy it in bulk, and it is super cheap.   I really like the outcome with that product.   I have not made polenta with a medium or rough grind.  I know the cooking time would be longer, and I am assuming the consistency would be different.  Do not substitute the pre cooked cornmeal, because it will not turn out the same.