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Basic and Easy Polenta Recipe
October 20, 2007Love Your Health Money Family & Relationship
Do you want to know how to make Polenta the easy way? Here you will find the basic Polenta Recipe. Polenta is creamy cornmeal dish that is common in Italy. Polenta is made with either coarsely, or finely ground dried yellow or white cornmeal (ground maize), depending on the region and the texture desired. Polenta goes along very good with food that contains meat or vegetables. Polenta can be used immediately with soft foods such as mashed potatoes. Polenta is cut into strips or other shapes and fried or baked. Polenta has remained a popular side dish, prepared much as it was in ancient Italy known as Rome. Maize (corn) replaced the wheat and millet used by the Romans during ancient times.
Ingredients you need to make Polenta recipe:
Ingredients: 2 tsp salt
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup cream cheese
3 cups water (use 4 cups for a softer polenta)
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
1/2 cup grated cheese (optional)
Container: double boiler or improvised equivalent
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1.5 hours
Directions of Polenta Recipe:
* Put several inches of water in the bottom of a double boiler and bring to a simmer. In a separate container bring 3 cups water to a boil and put into the top of the double boiler. (See tip)
* Mix cornmeal and salt; pour in a slow stream into the hot water in the top of the double boiler while whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. Stir for several minutes, then cover snugly. Maintain the water in the bottom at a simmer. Stir about every 10 minutes for a while, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan. Continue to cook for another hour, stirring once or twice. It will be very thick. If necessary, add more water to the bottom of the double boiler to keep it from running dry.
* After about 1 1/2 hours total cooking time, taste for doneness - it should be very smooth, without any bitterness. Cook longer if there is any raw or bitter taste. When it tastes done, stir in the butter and/or the cheese, if using, and serve warm. (It will keep over warm water, covered, for an hour or more) or smooth into a baking pan to firm up to be cut into pieces for frying or baking. Refrigerate, if holding for long.
A Tip on How To Make A Polenta: A double boiler can be improvised by putting a smaller pan inside a larger one. Use foil if the small pan doesn’t have a cover. This Polenta recipe might make a lot of food, so if you’re not cooking for a huge crowd, reduce the recipe portions.