Creamy Parmesan Polenta
Photo: c. foodblogchef 2020
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CREAMY PARMESAN POLENTA
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
4 cups of water
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 cup coarse grind cornmeal
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
pinch of baking soda (to help it cook faster)
Preparation:
1. Bring the water and milk to a boil in a heavy-duty saucepan or small Dutch oven. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
2. Gradually sprinkle the polenta into the pan while whisking at the same time. Turn the heat to a very low simmer, cover and continue to cook the polenta for 25-30 minutes, until it's thick, fluffy and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. When it's done, remove from the heat and stir in the butter, cheese, and additional salt to taste if needed.
4. Serve warm, sprinkled with additional cheese if desired and the topping of your choice.
References: America’s Test Kitchen @testkitchen, Ina Garten @barefootcontessa, Giada de Laurentiis @gidadelaurentiis, and Lidia Bastianich, “Lidia’s Italian Table”.
In most places where corn or maize is grown, there is probably a local version of cornmeal mush that is used to make fried bread-like pancakes or is used as a vehicle to put a sauce or stew over. In Italy it’s called Polenta, in Kenya and Tanzania it’s called Ugali, Central African countries call it Sadza. In meso-America, Elote is a maize-based drink that dates back to pre-Columbian indigenous people and traditional corn tortillas (flatbread) have become a staple in many parts of the world. Indigenous native Americans made cornmeal porridge and fried cornmeal bread-like pancakes. Early American settlers made a sweet Indian Pudding using cornmeal instead of ground wheat which was scarce in the New World colonies. Hoe-cakes and Johnny-cakes are contemporary regional versions of fried cornmeal pancakes that date back to early U.S. European settlers, and of course, the southern U.S. version of polenta is called Grits. This polenta pairs well with the Braised Beef Short Ribs on the website/blog or a simple marinara, or sauteed vegetables.