How to Make Basic Polenta

Polenta, or Italian cornmeal mush, is a hearty accompaniment for Italian sauces, stews and braises. It can also be cooled, sliced, and either baked or fried. This polenta is a great building block for many variations. Serves six as a side dish.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Cheese Graters
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Saucepans
• Wooden Spoons
• 3/4 c. Parmesan cheeses
• 1 qt. chicken broths or vegetable broth
• 2 c. polenta
• 2 c. heavy creams
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 1 tsp. salt

1. Bring the broth, cream, salt and pepper to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir in the polenta.
2. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. At this point the polenta should have a smooth texture when you taste it and should pull away a little from the side of the pan.
3. If the polenta seems a little grainy, add a small amount of additional broth or water and continue to cook and stir until smooth. Stir in the butter and cheese and serve.

Tips & Warnings

• If you can't serve the polenta right away, add a little liquid and cover it.
• Polenta can be found in many supermarkets and in gourmet or Italian markets. If you can't find it, you can use regular cornmeal, but it will not have the same texture.
• To harden polenta, spread the cooked mixture on a cutting board or a greased cookie sheet. Let cool, then cut into triangles or other shapes. You can use the triangles as you would soft polenta, or you can use them as a base for casseroles (baked with tomato sauce and cheese, for example).