I’d like to make the argument that polenta is one of the easiest and most versatile of our side dishes… provided you know a few simple tips. This simple dish made from coarsely ground corn meal and water is a springboard to other things. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino knows, the first thing to learn is how to keep polenta from getting lumpy.
According to Jerry, you’ll hear some conflicting theories about how to do this, but here’s what makes sense to us. Your basic ratio is 4 cups of salted liquid to 1 cup of polenta. Measure out your cornmeal, and get the water, or broth, just simmering. Gently pour in the cornmeal, while you whisk it vigorously. This is the key moment. Don’t just dump the cornmeal in… do it very gently and keep the whisk going. After that it’s a matter of stirring (and we like a wooden spoon for this) to help the polenta thicken and to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. As the polenta absorbs all the water, it will thicken noticeably. And in our experience that polenta gets as hot as lava, so be careful when handling it!
From there, the basic treatment is to grate some parmesan cheese into the polenta along with some butter and any other seasoning that appeals to you. A lot of cooks like to chop up some parsley and whisk it in too. At any rate you should end up with something very creamy, very smooth, and very satisfying.
Those are the basics, so let’s take it a step further.
A simple thing is to pour the polenta into a baking dish and let it cool and set up. It becomes firm enough to cut with a knife, and some people will take those chunks of polenta and serve them as is, or fry them up.
We also can use polenta to stand in for pasta, which is essentially what they do in Italy. For instance, put some cheesy polenta on a plate and pour a thick ragu sauce over it, with lots of sausage and chopped vegetables. I think a nice ragu Bolognese (with ground meat, aromatic veggies, milk and a little tomato paste) is a great partner for your creamy polenta. So instead of a layer of pasta at the bottom of the plate, you’ve got this wonderful polenta that is soaking up the sauce. Another idea is to make sort of a frittata using liquid polenta rather than beaten eggs. Add in your favorite sautéed vegetables plus some tomato sauce,, at least two types of cheese, ricotta and provolone come to mind, and bake it in a moderate oven. It will come out golden brown with all sorts of melted cheese flowing out of it. Don’t forget to pour a glass of Valpolicella! Another question: is polenta restricted to dinner time?
Actually no! You can have it at breakfast, and here’s how. Spoon out your creamy polenta into a dish and drizzle on some honey and thick cream. Then garnish with toasted almond slices, berries and pomegranate seeds, and you’ve got a truly elegant way to start your day.
How about using polenta in baking? Can we do that?
It’s simple. Just use polenta any time you would use cornmeal. For instance, try making cornbread with cooked polenta. Swap out the polenta for the corn meal and precede as usual. Because the polenta is a coarsely ground meal, the crumb in your cornbread will be a lot more moist and chewy and that’s not a bad thing at all.
