Polenta

Preparation

1. Bland

   Step 1

   Polenta tends to be fairly bland when cooked by itself in water. If you’ve already cooked it and find it too bland, your best bet is to top it with something interesting. See Too Much for a few suggestions. If you want to try cooking it with a bit more oomph, you can sauté some garlic or onion in the pot before adding the polenta and liquid. You can also cook the polenta in broth instead of water. Thyme, basil, and oregano are all herbs that marry nicely with polenta. And, believe it or not, poppy seeds are also a fine addition.

2. Lumpy

   Step 2

   Whisk it vigorously as it cooks. If it seems hopeless, try whirring it in a food processor.

3. Too much

   Step 3

   Spread it in a greased baking dish, refrigerate it until firm, then slice it and fry in oil. Top with marinara sauce and some provolone or perhaps some sautéed peppers. Adding some olives, mushrooms, and/or zucchini would not be a bad thing; serving it with ratatouille would be nice as well. Sautéed greens drizzled with balsamic vinegar are also quite pleasant on top of polenta.

4. Too thin or too thick

   Step 4

   Polenta can be cooked with a water-to-polenta ratio of 6:1 for very soft, to 3:1 for very firm. If it’s too loose, just keep cooking until the moisture evaporates and it’s the texture you want. If it’s too thick, add warm liquid while continuously stirring. The polenta will firm up as it cools.