Polenta

[ToffeeOwnsTheSausage]

Just cooking this. Isn't what I thought it would be. I now have a big pan of it and no one to eat it atm.

How did you expect it to be? I make mine as you have then pour onto a lightly oiled baking tray to cool. When firm cut into portion sized pieces and fry till crisp.

I think I thought it would be like cous cous in the way I could use it. I cooked it more and it has thickened up a bit and is now cooling in the pan like billy no mates .

You can either make it firm or loose. I personally prefer loose with loads of parmesan grated into it. Unfortunately I'm the only one in the house who likes it! Chuck some my way

You can either make it firm or loose. I personally prefer loose with loads of parmesan grated into it. Unfortunately I'm the only one in the house who likes it! Chuck some my way

Plain polenta can be very bland. I think it's traditionally served with rich stew type dishes. You could liven it up maybe by adding grated Parmesan, butter and/or chilli flakes/ thyme. Personally, I would fry it like potato cakes and have a fried egg on top!

Will it keep in the fridge until tomorrow?

Yes. No prob. I'll keep for a couple of days.

Polenta is the speciality of my father's region in Italy - you have to think of it like pasta, ie, it's not a meal in itself but something to soak up a delicious sauce. In our house, we cook it until it is very firm, we use a special polenta pot that stirs it and is semi-spherical - when it is ready, we scrape it out and have a self-supporting half globe of polenta that we then slice and use to accompany thick stews.

I don't know what you have in your house but a favourite polenta dish is polenta uncia. Cut the polenta into pieces. Dice soft cheeses and mix into the polenta (ideally taleggio, fontina and maggro but whatever you have to hand that will get nice and soft in heat). Melt a lot of butter and drop whole, smashed garlic cloves and sage leaves into it. Pour into the bowl containing the cheeses and polenta. Serve. Do not think about the calories.

That last sentence just let me know I can't eat it tomorrow when I am on a FD .

it is in the fridge and I will see what I can come up with tomorrow.

Kids pretty much just had fish and peas .

Oops, I should have said, put the whole dish in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese once you've added the butter.

It's not really a diet food - I can't think of any way to serve it that would be low-cal. It's hearty, mountain peasant food, no getting away from it. It won't go off for a while so just save it for a non-FD. Completely worth the wait

I am going to have it tomorrow! Yum.

I use white wine and water to make it up and beat in loads of cheese. Quite a lot of seasoning, too, or th blandness will win...

Use it as you would use bread. You can soak up thick sauces with it, stews, anything you threw in the slow cooker.
I normally add a pinch of salt to it while it is boiling.
Try with feta type cheese, or philadelphia with garlic and herbs, whatever.
I grew up with the stuff, love it!

It is also fantastic on top of shepherd's pie instead of mashed potatoes. Make it up so it's soft enough to dollop.

I love polenta. Where I come from, we used to make it plain (no cheese or anything) to have with stews and casseroles, and any leftovers were eaten the next day for breakfast with milky coffee ie you put the polenta and sugar into large cup with v. milky coffee. Nobody I know will even touch this, but I love it! :o

It's also very nice if you do the cool and slice thing, then grill them and serve them sort of like "chips" with a spicy tomato sauce.

i am not keen, but dh bought some ready made bricks portions when I had sent him to get dry polenta for a cake

I made polenta chips.....just cut it into chip shapes and bake them on a try in a well hot oven. I seasoned with maldon salt and thyme. Again I was not bothered enough to do them again, the boys all liked them and dd hated them.

Thought they'd be nice as a side dish to a "ladies wot lunch" plate. iyswim.

It is out of the fridge and is firm. Not sure what to do with it. All great ideas, want something quick and easy. Will reread. Thanks all.

Bought ready made block polenta but cake recipe says fine polenta! Could I grate/blitz the block to make a fine flour? Would the cake turn out ok?

no Jenmal....the fine polenta for cakes is dry, like semolina

the block stuff won't work.