Polenta

[Guest guest]

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Polenta

 

Recipe By : One Dish Vegetarian by Maria Robbins, page 164

Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Grains And Cereals

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

7 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves -- crushed

2 cups coarsely ground cornmeal

 

6 to 8 servings

 

The most basic polenta is nothing but water, salt, and cornmeal. If you

want to make that, simply omit the other ingredients. But the simple

addition of butter and garlic to the cooking water transforms an ordinary

dish into something quite tasty and extraordinary. As for the method of

making polenta, there are various approaches. Some cooks like to make a

paste with the cornmeal and cold water before stirring into the hot water,

while others insist on the classical method of stirring a fine stream of

cornmeal into violently boiling water. The method described below is easy,

quick, and lump-free.

 

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large heavy pot. (The water should not

come more than halfway up the sides of the pot.) Turn off the heat. Stir

in salt, butter, and garlic. Then stir in cornmeal, pouring it in a fine,

steady stream as you stir.

 

2. Place the pot over medium-high heat and continue stirring as the

cornmeal boils and thickens. Make sure to use a long-handled wooden spoon

and to stand back from the pot so the bubbles don't explode in your

face. As the cornmeal thickens, the boiling mass might get

violent. Simply turn off the heat and keep stirring. When it has calmed

down, turn up the heat and continue cooking until done. The total cooking

time is 15 to 20 minutes. The polenta is done when it forms a very thick

mass and starts to pull away from the sides of the pot as you stir. Serve hot.

 

Variations

 

Fried or grilled polenta is good when you want to make part of the meal

ahead. It is also a good way to serve polenta to a large crowd.

 

Fried Polenta: Make polenta as described in previous recipe, then pour

either into an oiled 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan or 9 x 12-inch roasting pan

and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or

overnight. (The dimensions of both the loaf pan and the roasting pan are

not critical; use any pans you have that are about that size.) Cut polenta

into j-inch slices or into squares, triangles, or even circles, using a

cookie cutter. Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil or olive oil mixed with

butter in a large skillet and fry the polenta pieces until golden brown on

both sides.

 

Grilled Polenta: Prepare polenta as for fried polenta. Brush polenta

pieces with olive oil on each side and grill over hot coals or under a

broiler for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -