Content

• Ingredients
• Simple polenta
• Fried polenta
• Baked polenta
• Polenta with cheese
• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Simple polenta
• Method 2 of 4: Fried polenta
• Method 3 of 4: Baked polenta
• Method 4 of 4: Polenta with cheese
• Tips
• Additional articles

Polenta is made from white or yellow corn, which is dried and ground into flour. Polenta is a traditional Italian dish, but its delicious taste and versatility have made it popular around the world in recent years. Learn how to make simple polenta and three variations: fried, baked, and cheese polenta.

Ingredients

Simple polenta

• 1 cup dry polenta
• 3 glasses of water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Fried polenta

• 2 cups plain cooked polenta
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Baked polenta

• 2 cups plain cooked polenta
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• Salt and pepper

Polenta with cheese

• 2 cups plain cooked polenta
• 1 cup grated cheese (cheddar, parmesan, or other cheese of your choice)
• 1 glass of whole milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Simple polenta

1. 1 Pour water into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and add salt.
2. 2 Reduce heat to medium low.
3. 3 Place a third of the polenta in a saucepan. Mix it with water with a wooden spoon. After about 2 minutes, the mixture should have reached the consistency of a paste.
4. 4 Add the remaining polenta to the pot. Continue stirring with a spoon for about ten minutes.
5. 5 Polenta is done when its texture is creamy.
   • Do not overcook the polenta or it will become too soft.
   • Taste the polenta and decide which texture you like best - creamy or grainy. Remove from heat when the polenta has reached the desired consistency.
   • Serve polenta with vegetables, chili, meat or fish - the possibilities are endless.

Method 2 of 4: Fried polenta

1. 1 Make polenta with a simple recipe. Bring the water to a boil, season with salt, reduce heat and add 1/3 of the polenta to make a paste, then add the remaining polenta and cook until creamy.
2. 2 Place the polenta in a greased baking dish. The size of the mold determines the thickness of the fried polenta slices. If you want to make thinner polenta, use a large mold, and if thicker, use a smaller one.
   • Smooth the polenta with a spatula.
   • Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
3. 3 Place the mold in the refrigerator. Refrigerate until the polenta hardens. Check the polenta after about 2 hours. If it's still warm and soft, leave it in the refrigerator for another half hour.
4. 4 Cut the polenta into slices. Each piece should be about 5 cm by 5 cm.
   • The slices can be square, rectangular or triangular in shape. The main thing is that they are the same size.
5. 5 Place a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pour oil into a skillet and heat until almost smoking.
6. 6 Place the polenta slices in the skillet. Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn over and fry on the other side.
   • Make sure the oil is hot enough before placing the polenta in the pan. Otherwise, it may fall apart before being fried.
   • If you want to grill the polenta instead of in a skillet, put it on the grill at this point.
7. 7 Place the fried polenta on a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper.

Method 3 of 4: Baked polenta

1. 1 Make polenta with a simple recipe. Bring the water to a boil, season with salt, reduce heat and add 1/3 of the polenta to make a paste, then add the remaining polenta and cook until creamy. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius at the same time.
2. 2 Add butter to the polenta and stir. Divide it into pieces with a wooden spoon and mix until it melts and mixes with the polenta. Add thyme, season with salt and pepper and stir.
3. 3 Place the polenta in a greased baking dish. The size of the mold determines the thickness of the fried polenta slices. If you want to make thinner polenta, use a large mold, and if thicker, use a smaller one.
4. 4 Place the dish in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, until polenta is fully cooked, until brown or golden brown.
5. 5 Remove the dish from the oven. Let the platter cool for a few minutes and then cut into slices for serving.
   • Use cookie cutters to shape interesting polenta shapes.
   • Serve with marinara sauce for a truly Italian-style meal.

Method 4 of 4: Polenta with cheese

1. 1 Make polenta with a simple recipe. Bring the water to a boil, season with salt, reduce heat and add 1/3 of the polenta to make a paste, then add the remaining polenta and cook until creamy.
2. 2 Add butter and cheese. Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter and cheese are completely melted.
3. 3 Add milk, parsley and spices and stir.
4. 4 Place the polenta in a bowl and serve hot.

Tips

• In Eastern Europe, traditionally this dish is served with sour cream and feta cheese, but in fact, polenta goes with anything.
• You can substitute plain white or yellow corn flour for polenta.

Additional articles

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