Instant Polenta?!?

[NotQuiteCockney]

Decided to make polenta for tea, figuring the health-food store bag, labelled "polenta" was really just cornmeal.

About three seconds later, it was done. How on earth does that work? It's scary, like a parachute opening in the pan.

And if I want actual normal polenta, do I want course cornmeal? Or what?

[NotQuiteCockney]

Anyone else do polenta?

[NotQuiteCockney]

la la la la la la

[bran]

Give up and serve sausage rolls NQC.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Polenta's hardly that fancy, is it? Goodness. It's Italian war food.

[littlerach]

Don't you need to bake it for some recipes?

[NotQuiteCockney]

Hmm, you can either make a sort of oatmeal consistency, which you just serve food on top of. Or you make it thicker, let it set, and then slice and grill it. I think. I've not heard of baking it.

[moondog]

Part cooked I think.
I've tried to like polenta but but it's bloody dull imho.
Quinoa is my grain du momemt

[NotQuiteCockney]

I'm quite liking quinoa, but I like the mush of polenta.

Actually, I like sour trahanas best, but don't think anyone else likes it/them, and can't get it here, anyway.

I am also wondering why I can't do popcorn as a carb option with a meal.

[moondog]

Sour trahanas??
Tell me more....

Popcorn to light to work as carb option.
Good for snacking though.

[NotQuiteCockney]

They're greek, they're like pasta, only sour, and with milk in. I can get them in Montreal, but not (afaik) in London.

[moondog]

Ah,remember mention of them before.
I've seen something similar in Turkey.
However,attempting to be virtuous and only use whole grains thse days....

[NotQuiteCockney]

I think they might be wholegrainish, at least the artisanal sorts of ones I can get are.

I am really struggling with food atm, anyway. Only want whole grains, but guts are a mess, so probably want low fibre. Can't eat fat, spices, shouldn't have dairy. Essentially can't eat. But that's not fixing my gut, either. Whoops.

[moondog]

What's the prob NQC?
IBS or summat??
Wot a bummer (excuse the pun)

[NotQuiteCockney]

I guess it is IBS, I've had it for ages, but post kids, it mostly leaves me alone.

But I've just had a real stonker of a gastric flu, no eating for days, absolute misery. And my guts still aren't back to normal. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I had the bug for about a week, so it'll probably take a few weeks to get back to normal.

I just want my normal high-fibre diet back, and will probably just go for that, albeit with smaller portions, and hope it works out.

[moondog]

You nned to see someone who knows what they are on about surely??
My friend suffered years of misery with this until she got her (very healthy) diet under control.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Well, I used to self-manage quite well, pre-kids. (I did see doctors, back home, but after eliminating the more obvious stuff, they just said, "yeah, that's nervous gut" which is the very helpful word for it back home) But yeah, if this keeps up, I will go see someone. I think they've got better at helping with these things now, I hope.

[FillyjonktheFluffy]

polentas nice, even quick cook stuff.

you have to slather it in soy sauce though

Otherwise it tastes of paper

[FrannyandZooey]

I like polenta but I don't like cooking it. I just eat it at my Polish friend's house. He makes a polenta pizza by grilling the polenta and putting the toppings on top