Polenta has been our food crush so far this fall. There were quite a few recipes featuring polenta in last month's Quick Weeknight Meals contest, and we're just enamored of its easy, creamy goodness. But first, let's revisit the basics. What exactly is polenta anyway?
Polenta is simply coarsely ground cornmeal. Usually when polenta is referred to, though, it's referring to a thick, creamy porridge of cornmeal cooked with water, broth, or cream. This porridge is a wonderful base for meat or vegetables. It's also a terrific breakfast. Sometimes, too, when people say "polenta" they mean polenta porridge that's been cooled and allowed to harden, then cut into shapes and fried or baked. This is also very delicious. (We like it with maple syrup.)
Polenta, though, is not always made from corn, so the terminology does get a little confusing. Sometimes it's made from semolina, and in some places it has ground buckwheat mixed with the cornmeal. But in general, when you see "polenta" for sale, it's coarsely ground cornmeal.
We buy our cornmeal for making polenta from the bulk bin of stoneground cornmeal at our co-op — no need to get fancy about it. We've even made polenta from finely ground cornmeal, which has a slightly different final texture, but is just as delicious.
Which brings us to our point: Marcella Hazan's polenta. Polenta is like risotto: it has a reputation for needing lots and lots and lots of stirring. Constant stirring! This is supposed to keep out lumps and create a creamy texture. Well, we are lazy and fortunately Marcella Hazan's recipe enables us in that. She has a recipe that always turns out creamy, lump-free, and delicious.
It's very easy: you bring your water or stock to boiling, thoroughly whisk in the cornmeal, bit by bit, and then simmer it on low with a lid on. You do stir a couple of times, but mostly you just let it sit there and do its thing. Then take off the lid and ta-da! Perfect polenta. We don't know why we'd do it any other way.
We like to throw in a half cup of mascarpone cheese to make it extra-creamy, or Parmesan for a little more flavor. But that's gilding the lily, to be honest; polenta is so creamy all by itself it doesn't need much help.
• Get the recipe: Creamy Polenta from Marcella Hazan at Epicurious
How do you make polenta? Do you have any tried and true tricks for good polenta?
More polenta:
• Quick Weeknight Dinner Recipes with Polenta
• Good Question: What is Polenta?
• Recipe Review: Polenta with Andouille and Broccoli Rabe
(Images: Faith Durand)
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Comments (18)
I've never made polenta any other way than this no-stir method - I'm too scared by the polenta volcano that I can never seem to avoid to stir any more frequently than a few times!
Deborah Madison uses a double boiler method, which I've never tried, but she says there's no need to stir it either. The only downside is that it takes an hour or more to cook.
And there's the baked version in How to Eat by Nigella Lawson. You put the pot, covered, in the oven, and it's supposed to come out great, but it always comes out lumpy for me.
No-stir polenta? No-knead bread?? No-cook fudge??? Nice!
I'm going to turn on the crock pot, start the dishwasher and wait for Rumpelstiltskin to come clean my house! That, or pretend I live in 2062 with the Jetsons... I want more dishes where I need to do NADA. :-)
Sooooo...polenta = grits?
i think the constant stirring reputation came from people using cheap pots so it doesnt stick or burn. if u use a thick one like porcelain enamel its no fuss at all!
You had me at Marcella Hazan.
I make polenta in a pressure cooker. No stirring at all and it's ready in 15 minutes.
Sometimes I stir, sometimes I don't, but it always turns out delicious. It's not really that fussy.
Also, if you add a tablespoon or two of masa harina to the pot (then you do have to stir, even whisk!) it gives it an even more velvety texture. mmmm now I'm upset that I've already eaten lunch...
Grits are usually made from hominy corn, though there's some contention on that.
yes, polenta=really good grits, not the white instant kind.
I usually make polenta in the microwave (the blog fatfreevegan has a recipe). Easy-peasy. It does produce some lumps, but I like the lumps!
Don't boil the water before adding the cornmeal/polenta. Add the cornmeal to cold water and you won't get any lumps. And you won't be able to tell the difference.
Traditionally, polenta is cooked in a copper pot. Using one that doesn't cause any sticking is blasphemy! After dinner, put the pot back on the stove and heat it until the stuck polenta comes off in chips. Yum, yum!
My family's recipe: 8 cups water, 3 cups of cornmeal, 2 teaspoons of salt. When it's pretty well cooked, add 1/2 stick butter. Then, at the end, 1/2 lb. good quality white American cheese.
Leftovers get sliced and fried in butter and onions.
If you want to be specific, grits are usually made from hominy (corn kernels soaked so the outer layer explodes). The color doesn't have anything to do with the quality. Polenta is usually a coarser grind of yellow cornmeal. There are good quality stone ground grits available.
I think you have to watch polenta. You just do. But there's ways to minimize things, and only have to check it every five to ten minutes. Here's what I did last sunday.
I started with a pat of butter in a good heavy saucepan and just let it warm with some chopped flat parsley and fennel fronds on medium. I then added a cup of of corn meal and three cups of water, and brought it, still at medium, to a boil, whisking fairly actively. As soon as I saw it break, I turned it to low, gave it a last whisk, and stepped back. This isn't that different than cooking rice, though naturally you do need more liquid.
Anyway, over the half hour I let it simmer on low, checking on it every 5-10 minutes, to give it a good stir with the whisk, and check for sticking on the bottom of the pan. If it felt sticky, I added a little water and whisked it in, and about midway through I also added some shredded gouda (yogurt works fine too). Keep working it, and checking up on it, and in a half hour you're done.
Cooking anything isn't like winding up a toy and letting it go. Sure, you don't need to keep a constant eye on things, but you do need to pay attention!
Hominy isn't just soaked corn, it's corn soaked with lye. The lye causes the corn cells to lyse and makes a lot of the nutrients of corn more accessible; it also makes the germ pop out of the kernel and float to the top. Thus, grits are just the germ of the corn kernel; polenta is the whole corn kernel, coursely ground.
Rice cooker on porridge! use whatever ratio called for, give it a stir and bam.
is this kind of like cream of wheat? do i need to buy cornmeal other than that i buy in a box at the store/use for my breads and pizzas?
I use my slow cooker! Polenta is one of the few things I think slow cookers excel at making. Put everything in the crock, stir it once, set it on medium and come back at the end of the day. It's the best polenta because the cornmeal really has a chance to hydrate and cook. I like to serve it with a chunky tomato sauce, a poached egg, and some Romano cheese.