Polenta

Latchy's Note:

This is a lesson in how to cook polenta that I have copied from Chef Stefano De Pieri.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 8 cups hot water
• salt
• 3 cups polenta

Directions:

1. Gradually add the polenta to the lightly salted, hot water by allowing it to fall from your hand from above the pot like sand through your fingers.
2. If the water is not boiling, you will be able to stir in all the polenta without lumps forming.
3. As the temperature rises, the flour will integrate with the water and thicken.
4. Stir all the time, and if you have used too much of the flour and the mixture is too thick, add a little water.
5. I taste for salt and perhaps add a little parmesan cheese.
6. When the polenta is smooth and does not taste of raw maize, it is ready.
7. You can use this sloppy polenta with anything that has been braising for a while.
8. Alternatively, pour the polenta into a flat baking dish where it will cool and become firm.
9. At that point, it can be grilled or oven baked for 20 minutes.
10. As a grilled slice, polenta can be used as a base for eggplant slices, goats cheese, rocket, prosciutto and so on.
11. For me, grilled polenta is good with either baked or fried fish and lumps of parmesan cheese.
12. Baked polenta can be dressed with cheese, roasted capsicum and fine pancetta.
13. After you have poured the polenta into a tray, some will remain stuck to the sides of the pot.
14. Let it dry even for a day, and peel these skins off.
15. They are delicious with parmesan cheese.

Reviews

[Arichka]

Fast and easy to make,however I thought instructions are missing one important note that one needs to reduce heat to low just before water begins to boil,otherwise you will end up with polenta splashing all over as you are stirring it and will get one nasty burn on your hand like I did.

[3KillerBs]

Not a recipe for a beginner. With no indication of what heat to use, how thick is too thick, or any other such details I had to give up with a sore shoulder after an hour of stirring a paste so thick I could stand my wire whisk with the long, heavy handle in it. I glopped it out into the pan I had ready for molding and stuck it into a slow oven to try to bake the raw taste out of it.

[Chef #580861 Nesbitt]

I did not know what polenta was until I looked it up.We were poor growing up in Louisiana 60 years ago and we had this for breakfast every morning.A little would go along way.What do you know?Now this is served in fancy restaurants at probably high prices.We called it cush-cush.No wonder I didn't have a clue.lol I can probably make it now with my eyes closed.Good old cush-cush, a popular dish now.Thank you for a taste of my childhood.Oh,if it comes back on you it can burn bad as it is holding a lot of pasty heat, so be careful.