#Howtocook Polenta
I’ve gotten a few notes about how intimidated people are about making polenta, so I decided to take you through the whole process. The first thing is to buy a good polenta. The Italian ones are good and I have had some good ones from the bulk grain section of local stores. No Instant! Use an enameled cast iron pot or some other heavy bottom pot. I start with 4 parts boiling water to 1 part polenta. When the water is boiling I pour the polenta in slowly, whisking it in. Then I stir for the next five minutes. I put the lid on it, turn the heat to low so it simmers and then I set a timer for 5 minutes. Every 5 minutes I go and stir with a wooden spoon, picking up the stuck bits from the bottom. If it’s becoming dried out add a bit of boiling water to re-hydrate and repeat the process. You want a little caramelization of the bits stuck to the bottom but NO burning. When it starts to become creamy and the dried polenta kernels have become fully hydrated you’re getting close to it being cooked. It’s now that you want to add your fat. This could be butter, Olive oil or even a little pancetta/bacon fat. Keep stirring every five minutes until your polenta tastes of creamy, little pieces of corn nib lets. The bigger the quantity the longer it takes, but it should be one hour maximum for a large pot. No crunchy, or grainy tasting bits. You can top it with a stewed meat sauce like in my picture, butter and parmesean, or crispy pancetta and greens. I hope you try it, comment on it, and share it. Most importantly though, go and #EatwiththoseyouLove
Love Peter
copyright 2018