Question about polenta...

[TwoToTango]

There is a recipe for easy tuna fish cakes on the Tesco website. I ordered all the ingredients, one of which was polenta. The recipe says, dip the fish cakes in the polenta, so I assumed it would be a flour/breadcrumb type of mixture. what I have got is in a block and the instructions on it refer to it being sliced or cubed and grilled/fried or boiled.

Am I missing something about how to use it or have they sent me the wrong sort of polenta?

You've bought the wrong sort. Polenta is in fact ground corn, so a rough cornflour. You've bought the ready cooked. Still, not all is lost, smear in tomato sauce, smother in cheese and bung in the oven for about 15 mins.

Thanks for that. Thought it was me!! When I looked at the recipe there was a button that said "buy these ingredients" and it puts them in your basket. Just looked on the website and its the only sort of polenta they do. Will try your cheese and tom sauce idea - sounds good.

you should tell them they've got it wrong! It should be them who is not you!

I complained about that issue (not sure if it was the exact same recipe, but "buy these ingredients" giving you ready-made polenta) at least six years ago (it was before we moved, although I'm not sure how long before). It is crap. Nice to know they paid attention...

Will def email them, thanks all

If it's anything like my experience, they'll want to know the store where the order was handled and will completely fail to grasp that it's THEIR CENTRAL WEBSITE FUNCTIONALITY that is at fault.

have just emailed - will await their response (i've pointed out its the only polenta on the website and suggested they amend the receipe).

Totally read thread title as "question about placenta". somewhat disappointed by thread

I was reading something yesterday which said how ironic it is that polenta is part of a trendy middle class dining now but really it's what Africans have called mealie meal for generations and it's what you eat when you can't afford anything else.

Sorry, that's slightly off the tesco fishcakes but I thought it was interesting

It's true Spicemonster - here in Italy it was poor people's food as well and people got quite ill from eating only polenta made with water for months on end because they didn't have the money for anything else.

Slice it into 5mm slices, griddle it and serve with a creamy mushroom sauce, a cheese sauce with cooked, chopped sausages or bacon, or a griddle veg and tomato sauce. Yum!

Sorry to hijack, but does anyone know where you can get the dried stuff? Sainsbury's have just stopped stocking it, Tesco and Morrisions don't do it. Neither do Holland & Barratt....

Waitrose do it... health food shops do too...

Believe it or not there is a site which answers this Q:

www.jamieoliver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=229185

Thanks! Good excuse for a trip to Waitrose to get lots of lovely goodies.

I use polenta to make pizza dough - makes it taste a bit more like papa johns that way I reckon.

Oh - I use it when making pizza too, but I just put in in the bottom of the pan to get a crunchy base.

hmm

cyanarasamba and georgiemum, what are you pizza recipes please?

i was hoping to get the dried stuff from the coop or asda - there isn't a waitrose around here. what else could I use to coat the fishcakes? Have tried making breadcrumbs from bread but they went soggy and burnt.

LOL at placenta

would like to hear about pizza recipes as well please.

This makes 2 pizzas today about 10 inches across.

8oz white bread flour
1oz dried polenta
1 tsp fine salt
1 heaped tsp easy-blend dried yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
1 1/2 tbsps olive oil
6 fl oz hand-hot water

Sieve the dry ingredients. Add the oil and water and mix with a fork to make a dry-ish dough. Knead for 3 minutes (with a little flour if necessary) until the dough starts to "bubble" on the surface, then return to the bowl and cover with cling film and leave for 1 hour to double in size.

Preheat oven to 220 degrees and put your pizza stone/ baking tray in to heat up. Dust a work surface with polenta and reknead the dough briefly. Roll out to size - it should be quite thin if that helps!

Place on the preheated tray, add toppings and bake for 10-15 mins.

thanks for that cyanarasamba - if I can find some dried polenta i'll definately give that a go

Mine's about the same. It makes 2 adult and 1 child sized pizza:

400g strong white flour
50g polenta
7g dried yeast
About 8 fluid oz of watm water

Topping:
Drain 2 cans of chopped tomatoes and mix in tablespoons of tomato puree and dried herbs.

***

Mix dry ingredients then add water and mix until you get a firm dough. Knead on floured surface for 10 mins until smooth.

Pop into oiled bowl and pop oiled clingfilm over the top. Leave somewhere draught free for about an hour until mixture had doubled in size.

Knock dough back, knead briefly and roll out thin (it will rise so make it thin!).

Sprinkle polenta onto baking tray (preheated at 220 deg) then pop pizza base onto it. Spread on the tomato mix the anything else you fancy (make sure they are 'dry' or the base will be squelchy - low fat mozzarella is really watery!). I chop everything up and leave out and let everyone top their own pizzas

Takes about 20 mins (if you like them well done!)