Please tell me amazing things you do with Polenta...

[Alexa12]

I am vegetarian, as is DP, we have a varied diet and cook lots of different things, but I've bought some polenta on a whim, and am lacking in inspiration as to what to do with it -what do you do with polenta, I need some tips please!

Well, I season it and use it to coat chicken fillets but that's chuff all use to a vegetarian :o

A soft polenta can be made with boiling water and served with a casserole.

Use instead of mashed potato. We make it soft and add gorgonzola to it so it goes oozey and gooey and melts into the polenta.

Add it to parboiled potatoes to give a crunchy topping before roasting them.

We like it but a lot of Mumsnetters hate it!

You can make it with milk and add grated cheese (strong cheddar or parmesan) and chopped spinach, leave it to cool/thicken, cut into slices and grill til it's crisp. Good instead of fat chips.

Is it dry or ready prepared? We get the dry granules. I make it up with some veg stock and mix in some parmesan. Then I spread it out flat so its about 1-2 cms thick. Leave it to set for about half an hour. Cut into chip shapes and bake on an oiled tray until crispys (or you could shallow fry). Lovely with a big salad and dipped into sweet chilli sauce!

It's the dry granules - both of those 'chip ideas sound fab, will give one of them a go tonight. I also didn't realise it could be used as a topping, excellent, thanks for the help!

It's also very good in cakes - I think Nigella had a Polenta and Orange cake recipe?

So you can bake it in the oven? Interesting! I tried to make the river cottage veg polenta chips last night and while frying it all turned into mush (very nice tasting mush but definitely not chips!). It is the third time I've tried to do something with polenta and it hasn't even turned out like it should. What temp and for how long do you cook it in the oven for?

Once I've mastered polenta I might dare to try to cook tofu again. Tofu is another food which I love but has always turned to mush when I cook it!

I have tried lots of ways to cook polenta and each time it has been disgusting. It tastes weird even with stock / cheese / olives etc in it and I can NEVER get it totally lump free.

I have given up trying to cook it on its own and have made 2 batches of savoury muffins with it which are nice, and I will be trying Nigella's polenta and orange cake as well.

Not a fan, sorry OP but good luck

nigella lemon polenta cake is brilliant. I prefer to normal cake as so moist. I also swap the butter for groundnut oil for dairy free version which is also great.

Thanks for the link PoppadumPreach (fab name btw!)

I make polenta all the time using the method described in this recipe:
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/-rosemary-polenta-recipe/index.html

The key to not falling apart is the chilling - it has to be very firm before you pan fry. And also really not touching it for 5 min when it first goes into the pan so it develops a crust which keeps it in one piece. It goes gorgeously custardy on the inside too.

And before you have a heart attack looking at that recipe, note it makes 12-18 servings! I have made up the full recipe and frozen the polenta at the "slice into triangles" stage and it works brilliantly if you just want to make a few at a time.

Grilled polenta squares with rashers, creamed spinach/roasted garlic, with fried eggs on top. Yum.

Polenta grilled, smothered with roasted veggies, mushrooms and goats cheese or gorgonzola.

Polenta in little individual souffle dishes with chopped sausage and egg on top, baked, melted cheese and then chives over it all.

Cut in cubes and fry in garlic infused butter, use in place of croutons on chicken caesar salad.

Thin layers of polenta alternating with roast veggies, Italian sausage, sundried tomato sauce and fontina cheese and all baked together makes an alternative lasagna

One of my children's favourite things is cornbread. I make it with chilli, soup, stew, anything really, even just to eat with butter.

Another thing that we like is polenta that has been chilled in a loaf tin overnight until it is very firm, cut into cubes and baked with a tomato sauce, topped with cheese. Or covered in cheese sauce, like mac and cheese.

I also use it sometimes when I make ginger cake to replace some of the flour.

I forgot this one. One of DS3's favourite breakfasts is polenta cakes. You cook the polenta in water with some butter and sugar until it is very, very thick. leave it to cool until you can handle it then shape it into patties. Fry on one side until it is crisp and golden, then turn and do the same on the other side. Serve hot, DS3 likes them sprinkled with icing sugar. Cheap. cheerful and filling.

tamales - add a veggie filling instead of meat.
polenta pizza
polenta porridge

I make this, which is similar to what stressedHEmum describes all the time, with a couple of tweeks, adding mushrooms to the bottom layer, as well as mixed herbs and a splash of Henderson's. And much more cheese than it says!!

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/826642/baked-polenta-with-spinach-and-goats-cheese

I've just made the Nigella lemon polenta cake.
Complete disaster.
It was too dark on top, but I covered it in foil and carried on. It completely collapsed in the middle though, a slumpy mess all over the bench.
We tasted it, to see if it was worth rescuing and it was gritty and horrid.

This is a very traditional meal in my home country, we make up polenta just by boiling it with salt and water. When it is still hot and soft you can have it with feta cheese and sour cream mixed in . You can also use a mashed up soft boiled egg and mix it in.

Sliced and shallow fried with loads of salt and dried rosemary is yummy!