pre-1940's recipes -- a challenge!
My favorite book to check out for that kind of information is
The Virginia
Housewife Or, Methodical Cook by Mary Randolph (published 1824). Here is
a recipe, verbatim.
To Make Polenta
Put a large spoonful of butter in a quart of water, wet your corn meal with
cold water in a bowl, add some salt, and make it quite smooth, then put it
in the buttered water when it is hot, let it boil, stirring it continually
till done; as soon as you can handle it, make it into a ball, and let it
stand till quite cold -- then cut it in thin slices, lay them in the bottom
of a deep dish so as to cover it, put on slices of cheese, and on that a
few bits of butter; then mush, cheese and butter, until the dish is full;
put on the top thin slices of cheese and butter, put the dish in a quick
oven; twenty or thirty minutes will bake it.
Posted by evergene/sirius.com to rec.food.cooking on 25 Jul 1995.
Polenta and Mushroom Tart
I originally saw this recipe in the S.F. Chronicle, as a review of a
Cook Book....
365 Snacks, Hors D'oeuvres & Appetizers.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 40 to 42 minutes
Chill: 1 hour
Serves: 8
Serve in wedges with forks as a starter, or cut into bit-size
squares to offer as individual appetizers.
3 shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb wild or cultivated mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup medium dry sherry, like Amontillado
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup instant polenta or yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter, cut into bits
1. In a large frying pan, cook shallots in olive oil over medium
heat until softened but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes Add mushrooms
and cook until mushrooms liquid is exuded and then evaporates,
about 3 minutes. Add sherry and lemon juice and toss to coat. When
sherry has nearly evaporated, remove from the heat. Stir in the
parsley thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Remove
mushroom mixture from heat and set aside.
2. Use a 22-inch piece of plastic wrap to line inside of a 9-inch
round cake pan, letting excess plastic drape over edges. For
garnish, place 1 perfect mushroom slice and a small sprig of thyme
in center.
3. In medium saucepan, combine milk, chicken broth, and remaining
1/2 teaspoon salt over high heat. When mixture boils, whisk in
polenta in a slow steady stream. Reduce heat to medium and cook,
stirring, 5 minutes, or until polenta is thickened to consistency of
hot cereal. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese and butter
until well blended.
4. Pour half of polenta into prepared pan, talking care not to
disturb center mushroom garnish. Using your fingers or a spoon, pat
into an even layer. Spread mushroom mixture over ploenta, leaving a
1/2-inch border around edges. Top with remaining polenta, pressing
down gently to seal. Cover with excess plastic wrap and let cool.
Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, or as long as 2 days.
5. Preheat oven to 400'F. Unmold polenta onto a foil or parchment
lined baking sheet and discard plastic wrap. Bake until heated
through and golden around edges, about 30 minutes. Cut into
pie-shaped wedges and serve warm.
O.K. That's the recipe....here's the deal
- Cultivated mushrooms work fine
- I've found that all cooking time are a bit longer... for me
- Never used 22-inch plastic wrap...2 normal overlapping sheets work fine
- I like more of a decoration, and use 4 or 5 slices of mushrooms to line the pan
- I don't know what instant polenta is... I just go to the store and buy polenta..you can use cornmeal...final texture in less grainy, I prefer polenta
- Work fast after you stir in parmesan
- Using cool or cold water on your hands helps when pressing hot polenta into pan
- If you leave a little more of a border when spreading the mushroom mixture, it tends to be a better presentation...no seam when removed from pan
Posted by Tim.Alford/stanford.edu to rec.food.cooking on 9 Aug 1995.
Polenta Cooking Cheats
In Italy they do grind cornmeal coarser, but you can use American
cornmeal with good results. It is traditionally a time consuming chore
with long cooking and lots of stirring. Here's a coupla cheats from an
improbably named book -
Microwave Gourmet by Barbara Kafta
Soft Polenta
4 cups water
3/4 cup yellow or white cornmeal
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup softened Gorgonzola cheese or 1/4 cup additional butter
1. Combine water, cornmeal, and salt in a 2-quart souffle dish. Cook,
uncovered, at 100% for 6 minutes. Stir well, cover loosely with paper
toweling, and cook for 6 minutes more, (If using a small oven, cook
uncovered for 9 minutes; cover loosely and cook for 9 minutes.)
2. Remove from oven. Uncover and stir in butter, pepper, and cheese
(or additional butter). Let stand for 3 minutes. Serve hot.
Spicy Polenta - Use Monterey Jack or fresh goat cheese instead of
Gorgonzola and add jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped.
(serves 8)
Firm Polenta
This is the one you chill slice and fry or grill.
4 cups water
1 1/4 cups yellow or white cornmeal
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Combine water, cornmeal and salt in a 2-quart souffle dish. Cook,
uncovered, at 100% for 12 minutes, stirring once.
2. Remove from oven, stir in 3 tablespoons of the butter, and add the
pepper. Let stand for 3 minutes.
3. Lightly grease a 7" X 4" X 2" loaf pan with half the remaining
butter. Pour polenta into pan and brush with the last of the butter.
Let stand until cool.
4. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. To serve, slice the polenta
about 1/2 inch thick and fry or grill.
Posted by Ashbury/cris.com to rec.food.cooking on 06 Aug 1995.
Martha Stewart's Individual Polenta Lasagnas
Recipe makes 2 (I doubled it and it actually made 5; after assembling, I
froze 2 and baked them a week later and they were perfect!)
For the sauce:
1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1-1/2 teasp. olive oil
1-1/2 teasp. unsalted butter
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 small celery stock, peeled ot remove strings and finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3 oz. ground sirloin
3 oz. ground veal
3 oz. ground pork
salt & pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (canned or boxed)
2 cups chicken stock (note: I only used 1 cup)
1/4 teasp. nutmeg
For the Polenta:
Olive oil for pan
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon instant polenta
1/2 teasp. salt
For the bechamel sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter + 1/4 teaspoon
2 tablespoons rice flour
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teasp. salt
1/4 teasp. nutmeg
Other ingredients:
10 oz. fresh spinach, washed
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
To make the sauce:
1. Place porcini in a small bowl and cover with 1/2 cup boiling water. Let
soak 15 minutes. Lift mushrooms out of water, chop medium fine, and set
aside. Strain the liquid through cheesecloth; set liquid aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add
carrot, celery, onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions
are translucent, 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the meats, 1/2 teasp. salt, and 1/8 teasp. pepper; raise heat to
high and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat has browned, about 4
minutes. Add wine and cook until liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, stock, chopped porcini, reserved porcini liquid and
nutmeg. Lower heat to simmer, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes;
much of the liquid will evaporate. (This is where I cut the amount of stock
in half, to only 1 cup...and I also added some tomato paste, because it
seemed like it would have been much to watery otherwise)
To make the Polenta:
Lightly brush a 3x5 mini loaf pan with oil; set aside. In a medium
saucepan, bring 2-2/3 cups water to a boil and add the salt. While
constantly whisking the water, add the polenta in a slow steady stream.
When all the polenta has been added, immediately reduce heat to low and let
simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, 3-5 minutes.
2. Remove the polenta from the heat, pour into prepared pan, and smooth the
surface. Let stand until cook, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate
until cold and firm, about 4 hours.
To make the bechamel sauce:
1. In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Add rice
flour and cook, stirring frequently, around 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring milk and salt to a boil. Slowly
whisk the milk into the flour mixutre until completely incorporated and
smooth. Add the nutmeg and reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring
occasionally, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Hold the remaining 1/4 teasp. butter in your fingers and rub it over the
surface of the bechamel; this will prevent a skin from forming.
To assemble the lasagna:
1. Heat 1/2 cup water in a medium skillet over medium-high heat; add
spinach and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until wilted and
tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and drain well in a colander.
Squeeze out all the water, finely chop, and set aside.
2. Unmold polenta onto a clean surface. Using a serrated knife, trim the
block of polenta to a length of 4 inches. Turn polenta on its side; slice 6
pieces as thin as possible (they should be around 1/8" thick)
3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 5 tablespoons of the meat sauce into
each of two 12-ounce, individual ovenproof casseroles (note: I use pot pie
ovals). Cover with 1 slice of polenta and spread 3 tablespoons of meat
sauce evenly over. Spread 2 tablespoons of bechamel over the meat sauce and
evenly distribute 2 tablespoons of the chopped spinach of the bechamel.
Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and cover with 1 slice of polenta.
Repeat the layering process (3 tablespoons meat, sauce, 2 tablespoons
bechamel, 2 tablespoons spinach, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and 1 piece
polenta). Spread 1 heaping tablespoon of bechamel sauce over the final
layer of polenta, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan, and dot with 1/4
teaspoon butter. These can be prepared up to this point a day in advance;
cover and refrigerate (however, let them come to room temp. before baking).
4. Bake until tops of lasagnas are golden brown and the juices are
bubbling, about 25 minutes.
You could very easily make one large lasagna, but they are actually rather
wonderful as individual lasagnas!
Posted by SCOUT338/AOL.COM to the Celiac list on 22 Feb 1996.
Polenta (& Help)
The problem I had with polenta was getting it solid enough to use with
other ingredients (e.g. in a polenta lasagne). When I used jelly-like
polenta, it seemed to disappear! But when I asked for help, I was not very
specific at the start and I got a whole lot of wonderful suggestions for
uses, as well as cooking techniques.
Ellen Eagan suggested using the microwave instead of a double-boiler.
Mix up the polenta, and microwave it on high for 2-3 minute intervals,
stirring between each. Keep at it until you get the right consistency
(for Jane this takes about 8 minutes).
Ellen Switkes, who makes polenta from a packaged mix, has another method:
"I add the polenta, water, a piece of butter and a little salt, pop the
entire thing into the oven and bake for 50 minutes, stir once, bake
another 10 minutes. Presto, great polenta, no constantstirring. You
can add cheese or whatever you want at the 50 stage."
My favorite post came from Russell Baleson in Johannesburg, South Africa,
who offered insight into how polenta is used elsewhere in the world,
including a few new (to me!) thoughts on how polenta can be used. In an
earlier message, he told me that polenta is one of his comfort foods, and
these descriptions tell me why:
"Here are a few suggestions and I hope they work although I'd suggest
you find an Italian shop somewhere and buy the packeted Polenta from
them. All over the world the Italian polenta is relatively
inexpensive, very quick to make, and usually delicious.
"However, the secret of 'thickness' is to make the mixture of corn
and water as thick as you possibly can. It should be a tough
dough-like mixture although not too thick to be dry and crumbly, and
then leave it in a pot over a low heat for AT LEAST thirty minutes.
"In South Africa, the staple diet of most of the different cultures
is something called pap (pronounced more like pup) which is a very
stiff consistency white corn meal. Everyone eats it and it is served
with any kind of meat or gravy, honey, vegetables or basically
anything. No barbeque is ever without pap!
"The other thing you can do with polenta is to take your finished
product, even if it's not too thick and put it in a baking pan,
bread-size is best and leave it in a fairly hot oven for about
thirty minutes. When ready, it is quite firm and can be cut into
slices for lunches, quick cold meals, to be covered with other
foods, etc. I like it best once it has cooled or been refrigerated."
Posted by Linda Blanchard to the Celiac list on 25 May 1996.
Polenta: Northern Italian Style
The following recipe comes from Joe Ames. In it he seems to have answered
my question about what consistency the polenta needs to be when I turn it
out: it should have stiffened and it will pull away from the sides of
the pan.
5 1/2 c. water
Salt
1 3/4 - 2 c. yellow corn meal (Quaker Brand), coarse
Pour water into large heavy pot (cast iron if available), add salt
and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so water is just simmering. Pour
the corn meal slowly using a wire whisk egg beater (or through your
fingers) in a steady slow stream, while churning the corn meal and
water with the whisk (to minimize lumping of corn meal) until all of
the corn meal has been used up. Stir with whisk a few times, then
cover and cook at low temperature. Stir mixture thoroughly every few
minutes with whisk or wooden spoon for about 30 to 45 minutes or until
mixture stiffens and pulls away from the sides of the pan. The polenta
is ready.
Slowly invert the polenta on to a wooden or plastic serving board or
large dish, shaping to resemble a cake. Using a double strand of white
sewing thread begin slicing polenta into "bread slices" by cutting from
one side and then from the other side. To keep polenta warm, cover with
a clean, white dish towel. Serve. Polenta in Italy is served as a
substitute for bread and can be served with any dish, stew or fish.
If any polenta is left over, let it cool, wrap it up in the white dish
towel and place in refrigerator for later use. It can be toasted in
the toaster oven an eaten with your favorite cold cuts, salads or your
next main meal. The crust that is left in the pan, when dried, is
like tortilla chips. Delicious.
The most important part of this preparation is to "gelatinize" the corn,
that is to cook it long enough, measure your cooking time from the time
it starts bubbling, when its good and hot.If you want to experiment,
this can be done in about 1/3 the time in the microwave, covered
with plastic wrap, and stirred a few times. Have fun.
Posted by Linda Blanchard to the Celiac list on 25 May 1996.
Pan Browned Polenta
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons each minced green bell pepper and drained, minced oil-packed dried tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
About 1/4 cup oil from dried tomatoes; or 1/4 cup olive oil
4 1/2 cups regular-strength chicken broth
1 1/2 cups polenta (Italian-style cornmeal) or yellow cornmeal
In a 4- or 5-quart pan over medium heat, combine onion, bell pepper,
tomatoes, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Cook, stiring
occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of the
broth; bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat.
Meanwhile, mix polenta with remaining 1 1/2 cups broth. Using a
long-handled spoon, gradually stir polenta mixture into boiling broth; it
will thicken and spatter. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring for 5
more minutes. Remove from heat and at once spoon polenta into a 4- by
8-inch loaf pan. Let stand for 30 minutes to firm (or let cool, then
cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days).
Run a knife around edges of pan and turn polenta out onto a board.
Carefully cut crosswise into 8 slices; cut slices diagonally in half.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium
heat. Add as many polenta slices as will fit without crowding. Cook,
uncovered, turning as needed, until golden on each side, about 5 minutes;
remove from pan and keep warm. Repeat to cook remaining polenta, adding
more oil to pan as needed.
From Joe S. Warren in Titusville, Florida.
Posted by Linda Blanchard to the Celiac list on 25 May 1996.
Italian Chef's Polenta
I wrote down this Polenta Recipe from the Italian Chef on T.V. Bebi or
Bebbi?
9 cups of water
2 Tablespoons of Salt
2 cups coarse corn meal
1 cup of fine corn meal (she said she likes this combination, you could adjust yours to your pleasing.)
She uses a wisk and puts in a handful of corn meal at a time. It is not a
mystery...you just put in a handful, then whisk around a bit, then put in
another handful...
It seems so simple. I suppose you could augment this with some grated
italian cheese.
The presentation:
the corn meal polenta is placed on a cutting board and squared off, then
sliced. Put slices on a plate and put some of your favorite spaghetti
mushroom sauce (or any combination) over it. Or you could put into an
oblong pan, refrigerate and then slice it and serve it chilled.
How's that? Anyone else see this, or use make polenta in this method? I'd
like to hear before I try it...
Posted by Andy K. in San Francisco to rec.food.cooking on 10 Jul 1996.
Polenta using Garbanzo Flour
In the very old days polenta was made from garbanzo beans,
(chick-peas, "ceci" to the Italians), you will have no trouble finding
garbanzo flour in any Italian market.(according to the cookbook)
1 quart water
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups garbanzo flour
1/2 teaspoon whole thyme
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bring the water to a boil and add the salt. Remove the pan from the
heat and stir in the garbanzo flour, using a wire whip. Work fast and
stir hard or you will get lumps. Return the pan to the burner and cook
stirring with a wooden spoon, until it is very thick, about 15
minutes. It should be as thick as hot breakfast cereal. Add the
remaining ingredients and pour the mixture into an oiled bread pan.
Chill overnite, covered. Slice the polenta 1/4 inch thick and pan-fry
in olive oil, just before dinner.
Serves 6 as a side dish
This is all I could find right now, I'll keep my eyes open for more as
I love polenta also. My friend that was raised in Italy wont even
talk polenta to me as that was just about all they had to eat during
hard times, and eating polenta meant you were poor. To others it is
"comfort" food.
Posted by CKochsimmo to rec.food.cooking on 12 Jul 1996.
Fried Polenta with Porcini Mushrooms
Basic Polenta recipe
Vegetable oil for frying
2 ounces imported dried porcini mushrooms soaked in 2 cups lukewarm water for 20 minutes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, wiped lean, stemmed, and sliced
1/4 pound fresh chanterelle mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Prepare the polenta several hours or a day ahead so it will become
very firm. Pour the polenta onto a platter or cookie sheet and spread
it uniformly to approximately 1/2 inch thick. When you are ready to
fry the polenta, cut it into eight slices.
Heat one inch of oil in a medium-size nonstick skillet over medium
heat. When oil is hot, fry the slices of polenta a few at a time until
they are lightly golden on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the
polenta with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep the
polenta warm in a low oven while you are preparing the mushrooms.
Strain the porcini and rinse well under cold running water several
times to get rid of sandy deposits. (Reserve the soaking water for use
in a mushroom soup or stew after straining it through a double
thickness of paper towels) Chop the porcini roughly.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
When the butter foams, raise the heat to high and add the mushrooms,
making sure not to crowd the skillet or the mushrooms will not brown
properly. Cook and stir until the mushrooms are lightly golden, 2 to 3
minutes. Add the garlic and parsley and cook briefly. Season with salt
and several grinds of pepper.
Place the polenta on individual serving dishes, top with the
mushrooms, and serve at once.
Makes 4 servings
Posted by CKochsimmo to rec.food.cooking on 12 Jul 1996.
Any good polenta recipes?
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
Posted by Paula (nvestig8/teleport.com) on 11 Jul 96:
I'm looking for ways to serve it, and also anything to add to it while it's
cooking. I've tried Polenta with Brie, and Polenta with Asparagus. Both
delicious but would like more ideas.
Posted by Mary f(pud) (maryf/earthlink.net) on 12 Jul 1996:
I like jalapenos added to it, or cheese. Parmesan and or Monteray Jack. I
like your idea of brie, that sounds good :-). Red roasted peppers is good
too.
Posted by Robin Ringo (RRingo/es.xerox.com) on 17 Jul 1996:
my favorite is with chopped sage (just a little) and gorgonzola.
Posted by Terry Pogue (tpogue/ids2.idsonline.com) on 13 Jul 1996:
Have you seen Barbara Kafka's book
MicroWave Gourmet? She has a
dynamite recipe for polenta topped with Red Peppers and Onions done in
a bit of olive oil in the microwave. Or maybe I was the one who
decided it would be terrific atop polenta. Anyway it's really tasty.
Posted by lasseter/accessone.cam on 14 Jul 1996:
At the last restaurant I worked at we served several types of polenta.
The most popular was cinnamon/basil and a polenta made with blue
cornmeal, bermuda onions, and bleu cheese. For the cinnamon add 50%
more butter than called for in your recipe and as much cinnamon and
fresh chopped basil as you like.
For the blue polenta make like normal using the blue corn meal. We
sauteed up a fair amount of bermuda onions and added half to the
polenta. The other half was spread on top of the polenta. We finished
it by sprinkling bleu cheese crumbles over it. We let it set so the
cheese melted a little and then cut and served.
Polenta and Duck
This recipe was featured in the March 1994 issue of Texas Monthly,
[duck recipe snipped]
Polenta
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup cornmeal
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup butter
4 bunches arugula, for garnish
Bring broth to boil in saucepan and add cornmeal. Cook on low heat for 25
minutes, stirring constantly to achieve a creamy consistency. Season and
then stir in butter.
To serve, spoon some polenta onto each warmed plate; arrange duck slices
on top and one leg alongside. Ladle sauce over duck and garnish each plate
with a generous bunch of arugula. Serves 4.
Posted by Jeane Bell (jeanski/ns.net) to rec.food.cooking on 12 Jul 1996:
Polenta with Leeks & Gorgonzola Garnished with Caramelized Fennel & Onion
From
The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas - a terrific book!
2 large white fennel bulbs
3 large yellow onions
5 tbsp.fruity green olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup dry red wine
2 very large leeks,white only (about 11/2 cups,sliced)
1 tsp.butter
6-7 cups any low-salt vegetable broth
1 cup coarse or regular polenta
3 oz. gorgonzola cheese
chopped flat-leaf parsley
Trim the fennel bulbs, wash them well,cut them in half lengthwise, and
then slice them about 1/4 inch thick. Peel the onions and slice them the
same way.
Heat 3 tbsp. olive oil in a large non-stick pan and cook the fennel and
onions in it slowly, stirring often, adding a little salt and pepper to
taste, until they are completely soft and golden brown. Stir in the wine,
and continue cooking until it almost all simmers away, then set pan aside.
Clean the leeks thoroughly, cut them in half lengthwise, then slice them
quite thinly crosswise. Heat the remaining olive oil and the butter in a
non-stick pan and saute the leeks in it, stirring them often, until they
are soft and beginning to color. Add a little sprinkle of salt-but not too
much.
Heat 6 cups broth in a medium-sized saucepan and whisk in the polenta.
Lower the heat and simmer the polenta, stirring with a wooden spoon
constantly, until thick and smooth, about 30 minutes. Stir in the sauteed
leeks; break the gorgonzola into chunks and stir it in. Keep stirring until
cheese is all melted into cornmeal. The polenta should be thick and
smooth, but not too stiff. If it is holding a shape as you stir it,
gradually mix in a bit more of broth.
Meanwhile, warm up the caramelized fennel and onion mixture. This too could
be moistened with a bit of broth if needed. Ladle the polenta into
warm, shallow bowls or onto warm plates, and spoon some of the fennel and
onion mixture around the polenta.
Scatter some fresh flat-leaf parsley across the top and serve at once with
a good red wine. Serves 6.
Posted by Jeane Bell (jeanski/ns.net) in rec.food.cooking on 14 Jul 1996.
Creamy Polenta with Apricot-Onion Sauce
From
Nicole Routhier's Fruit Cookbook
Don't be put off by the anchovies in this-they add a
delicious, hard-to-pinpoint complexity to the flavor. This is a great
cookbook-lots of ideas with fruit!
Apricot-Onion Sauce:
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. crumbled dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes,or to taste
8 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cups canned peeled tomatoes,including juice
1 1/2 cups white wine, preferably Chardonnay
1/2 cup diced dried apricots (use fresh if available)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
Polenta:
2 large ears corn,preferably white,husks and silks removed
3 3/4 cups chicken broth, at room temperature
3/4 cup stone-ground yellow or white cornmeal
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish
extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish
To make the sauce,heat the olive oil in large non-stick skillet over
medium-heat. Add onions, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, anchovies, and
bay leaf. Saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender, 3
minutes. Crush the tomatoes, add them to the skillet, along with the
wine, apricots, salt and sugar. Quickly bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to
low, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season the sauce to
taste with sugar and salt if necessary. The sauce is now ready; you can use
it immediately or let it sit for up to 2 hours before serving.
To make the polenta, cut the corn kernels from the cobs by running a sharp
knife from the tip of the ear straight down to the stem. Avoid tough fibers
by not cutting too close to the cob. After removing the kernels, scrape the
back of the knife down the cob to extract all the remaining meat and the
'milk'. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups corn kernels.)
Stir the chicken broth, the cornmeal and the corn kernels together in a
large pot. Cook over low heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until
the cornmeal no longer feels grainy when you taste it, 5-6 minutes. Remove
from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.The mixture should be creamy
and slightly runny. If it's too thick, add a little hot water. Spoon the
polenta into warmed shallow bowls, top with the sauce, and sprinkle with
chopped parsley. Drizzle olive oil over the top and serve immediately.
Serves 4 as entree or 6 side dishes. The polenta can also be grilled as a
variation.
Posted by Jeane Bell (jeanski/ns.net) in rec.food.cooking on 14 Jul 1996.
Warm Breakfast Polenta with Chocolate, Mascarpone, Cinnamon and Almonds
From
Dinner at the Authentic Cafe by Roger Hayot
I think he is one of the best chefs in the world and I envy those who have
been able to get to his restaurant in the ethnic Fairfax area of Los
Angeles!
1 cup water
2 1/4 cups milk
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
2 tbsp. mascarpone cheese,stirred to loosen
2 oz. good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely grated
3/4 oz. shelled almonds, lightly toasted (bake them in 350F until pale gold, about 8 minutes)
1/4 tsp.cinnamon
4 3-inch cinnamon sticks
4 fresh Mission figs,if in season,ends trimmed and quartered
Bring the water,milk and salt to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan over
medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and add the cornmeal in a thin
stream, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook the cornmeal,
pressing out any lumps with the spoon and stirring constantly, until it
thickens and all the grains seem cooked and slightly swollen, about 10
minutes. Taste the polenta; it should be soft, not gritty. The polenta
should be thick, but not stiff-you should still be able to serve it with a
ladle.
Ladle the polenta into soup plates. Use a spoon to make a small 1/2- inch-
deep depression in the center of each portion. Drop 11/2 tsp. of the
mascarpone into each depression, then sprinkle with chocolate. Combine the
almonds and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture over all the
polenta. Place a cinnamon stick in each portion, so that your guests may
use it to swirl the mascarpone and chocolate.
If you are using figs, place 4 quarters around each portion of polenta and
serve immediately. Makes 4 1-cup servings.
Posted by Jeane Bell (jeanski/ns.net) in rec.food.cooking on 16 Jul 1996.
my polenta was disgusting! (help)
Newsgroup: rec.food.cooking
Posted by Lisa Dal Santo (lisa/psy.uq.oz.au) on 7 Sep 1996:
I don't know what I did wrong, but the polenta I made turned out
nothing like what these caterers at a wedding served. Theirs
was almost gelatiny, not yellow/golden, it was more clear/opaque,
like plain gelatin would be. I know it was fried, so I got that
part right. Could there perhaps be different kinds of polenta?
I used yellow coarse-grain stuff (on the bag it said polenta) ..
after it set and we tasted it, it tasted grainy and salty (probably
that salt the recipe said to add). The stuff I'm trying to make
certainly didn't taste salty, in fact it was a littly bit sweet,
and didn't taste gritty at all. My husband says that his italian
grandmother made polenta for them and had it as a heaped up dome
on a wooden board. They would just dig in with spoons. Her's
was not yellow, either, but opaque/whitish.
Who can help??
Posted by Lori Rizzo (larizzo/bihs.net) on 8 Sep 1996:
There was an article in Fine Cooking (magazine) about polenta. I don't have
the issue, but it's been within the past year. It was a great article, and
talked about making "authentic" polenta. I want to try it too.
Posted by Diane (dku/mindspring.com) on 08 Sep 1996:
polenta is simply a corn meal mush and it could be white or yellow or
feasibly even blue depending on the cornmeal you use. i am confused
when you say it was clear/opaque..because those words are opposites.
it is like me calling myself tall/short. i have never seen clear
polenta...it sort of defies the rules of matter........ confused.
Enrico's Easy Baked Polenta
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
Posted by Yungbill/aol.com on 20 Mar 1997:
My Italian friend made a fantastic "Baked" polenta and she said it was the
recipe on the package of Golden Pheasant Polenta. I haven't been able to
find it in my area. Do you know of it or a recipe for BAKED polenta?
Posted by Donald Martinich (dutchm/wheel.dcn.davis.ca.us) on 21 Mar 1997:
This could be two different things. You can bake boiled polenta with
other ingredients such as poultry in mushroom sauce with cheese, etc. or
use baking as the basic cooking process. For the latter, the Golden
Pheasant package has:
Enrico's Easy Polenta
1 cup polenta
3 1/4 cups warm water
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place ingredients in buttered 8-inch square pan.
Stir with fork until blended. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes. Run fork
through it and bake 10 more minutes. Serve with butter and Parmesan
cheese, or with your tomato, meat, or vegetable sauce. Serve 6.
Posted by WDHathaway/aol.com on 22 Mar 1997:
Polenta is just cornmeal mush unless you add something interesting. If you
cook the stuff according to the package directions (stirring the cornmeal
into salted, boiling water until it looks like bubbling lava) and turn it
out onto a baking sheet, you can douse it with olive oil, lots of Parmesan
cheese and whatever herbs you particularly like, then bake it in the oven
at 350o until it gets a little crusty.
Posted by Vera Lewis (vera/Eng.Sun.COM) on 28 Mar 1997:
The best baked Polenta recipe I ever had came off a box of Quaker Corn
Meal, I think they still print it on the packege (sorry don't have one
handy). They call it baked corn meal mush and it really was terrific.
There was also a method given for frying it in bacon (mmmmmmm).
Polenta with Formaggio Fuso
James A. Crutchfield wrote:
>Can anyone provide some good polenta recipes? I'd particularly like to get
>the one that featured a creamy, garlicky polenta served with steak
Try polenta with formaggio fuso:
Cook the polenta just with water salt and some (few) olive oil or
butter. When ready put it in the heated oven (less than 120 dergree
Celsius) for steaming off. Meanwhile heat a pan (Teflon/silverstone
etc.) and put into it grated cheese (originaly Asiago because it is an
Trentino recipe from northern Italy). Melt it at a moderate temperature
without stirring. When its done it should have a light brown crust at
the bottom. Put the polenta on a plate and turn the melted cheese upside
down on it. Serve with a green salad.
Try also polenta with green beens fied with onions and a little garlic
(from my grandma of Trentro) its called polenta con fasoi rostidi and
this is served with grated Parmesan cheese.
Posted by Martin Bemmann to rec.food.cooking on 27 Mar 1997.
Mushy Polenta
Newsgroup: rec.food.cooking
Posted by michaelk/acsu.buffalo.edu on 21 Apr 1997:
Does anyone have a recipe for polenta. (*Making it*, not using it.)
Mine alway seems to come out too mushy, even after its been chilled.
I'm using roughly one part corn meal to four parts liquid. Thanks.
Posted by Al (rocksteady.no/spam.wport.com) on 21 Apr 1997:
You are using too much water... I use 3 & 1/4 parts water to 1 cup
polenta, it always turns out right. Also, try adding a little
cheese...
Posted by Ludwig Van (ludwig/spaceship.net) on 27 Apr 1997:
The problem is probably your ratios, but your method.
The trick to Polenta is to bring the liquid to a rolling boil before you
add the meal. The meal must cook all the way and if you bring the heat
up with the meal in the liquid it will not completely cook.
Posted by Jonas V Bilenas (jonaspas/sprynet.com) on 10 May 1997:
You may want to try less liquid. I use 1 part polenta to 3 1/4 parts
water or stock. Do not use instant polenta and for a thicker polenta do
not add milk. After the water comes to a boil, add polenta in a thin
stream while stirring with a whisk. After incorporated into the water,
switch to a wooden spoon. Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring constantly.
This should give you a thicker polenta.
what is polenta?
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
Posted by rck9396/vaxd.isc.rit.edu on 13 Jul 1997:
What is polenta?
Posted by dreamweaver/visi.net on 13 Jul 1997:
Of Italian origin (at least around home it was always prepared in Italian
house holds). Polenta is a corn-meal based porridge.
Posted by eep/napanet.net on 23 Jul 1997
Polenta is what my Roumanian grandmother called Mammaliga.
Posted by WardNA/aol.com on 13 Jul 1997:
It should be pointed out that not just any "corn meal" will do for
polenta. It should be coasely ground, a little gritty in the teeth, not
the finely ground meal Erewhon or Indian Head puts out.
Posted by beans/gate.net on 13 Jul 1997:
According to Julia Child, polenta is just cornmeal mush, served adult
style.
Posted by E A Smyth (easmyth/dircon.co.uk) on 20 Jul 1997:
Maybe it's comfort food for me in a way, too, as it reminds me of a
lovely holiday. Eve
Posted by Michael Sierchio (xhqmh/qanv.pbz) on 17 Jul 1997:
Walter Smith wrote:
> Polenta is basically unrefined Italian grits
well, it's cornmeal mush made with coarse meal. Grits
are made from hominy, something else entirely...
Posted by hubbardm/tmn.com on 20 Jul 1997:
Fancy corn meal mush (corn meal boiled in water)
Scrapple is Pennsylvania Polenta (corn meal mush with pig parts)
Posted by trilliumblackmer (tblackmer/nwu.edu) on 17 Jul 1997:
Walter Smith wrote:
> Polenta is basically Italian Grits. It is corn meal cooked in a stock,
Um, not to be a snob or any thing, but polenta *isn't* corn meal! It's
similar, but a much coarser grind, and nothing like grits (to me
anyway).
It probably is quite good with broth or wine, but the way we do it in my
family (isn't that always the *right* way) was with water.
7 c water to 3 1/4 c polenta
It's important to let the polenta fall in a thin, but steady stream into
the boiling water so there are no lumps. To do it the 'real way' you
have to then stand there and stir it constantly. At the end you can
stir in a little milk or cream and some parmagiano if you are going to
eat it soft. I like it topped with sausage and tomato stewed in red
wine.
Posted by Bill (brawny/mindspring.com) on 18 Jul 1997:
trilliumblackmer (tblackmer/nwu.edu) wrote:
>Um, not to be a snob or any thing, but polenta *isn't* corn meal! It's
>similar, but a much coarser grind,
Call it what you want, but it still tastes like mush, grits, polenta to me!
I guess it isn't the flavor that of object to, it is the texture that I
don't like. Pears have that same texture.
Posted by trilliumblackmer (tblackmer/nwu.edu) on 24 Jul 97:
>I guess it isn't the flavor that of object to, it is the texture that I
>don't like. Pears have that same texture.
Maybe you haven't had it cooked properly? To cook properly it needs
constant stirring and to be poured in boiling water very carefully so that
you don't get any clumps. It's done when it looks kind of satiny and pulls
away from the edge of the pan. I've never noticed that it had that yucky
pear texture, but then again, maybe you just don't like polenta :)
>That would be "mealy."
>I thought polenta was a cooked corn meal dish. I guess I'm w-a-a-a-y
>out there....;-)
Ok, ok, it's similar to corn meal, but *not* the same! Different grind and
maybe different corn...funny thing is, I eat lots of polenta in the winter
time and can't stand grits or corn meal mush at all...go figure.
Classic Polenta
Polenta was originally a porridge made of various coarse grains, mostly
wheat. Since the introduction of corn and cornmeal in Italy, cornmeal
has largely replaced wheat for making polenta.
A little over 2 quarts cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse-grained salt
1/2 pound coarse or stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1/2 pound regular finely ground yellow cornmeal
Bring the cold water to a boil in a large pot. When water boils, add
the salt. Mix the two types of cornmeal together and pour slowly into
the water while stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring
continuously for 40 to 50 minutes. If lumps form, mash them against the
side of the pot.*
Polenta may be served hot with sauce, or poured into a loaf pan,
chilled, sliced, then fried, baked or broiled. Some cooks include
grated Parmesan, Romano, or other cheese in polenta.
I like it fried with a smiple sauce of Italian sausage, tomato, garlic,
onion, and green peppers with a little basil or oregano.
*From Giuliano Bugialli's
Classic Techniques of Italian Cooking
Posted by Bob Y (rdyoung/wcc.net) to rec.food.cooking on 13 Jul 1997.
Polenta with Chunky Meat Sauce (Microwave)
This recipe is adapted from Better Homes & Gardens CD Cookbook. I leave out
the pimento, the sauce is flexible and can be modified according to taste.
A great low fat meal that can be made when you need something quickly.
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups boiling water
Nonstick spray coating
1 pound lean ground beef (or Italian-style turkey sausage)
2 green onions, sliced
1 17-ounce can cream-style corn
1 small green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Dash pepper
1 2-ounce jar diced pimento, drained
For polenta, in a 2-quart casserole combine cornmeal, the 1 cup cold water,
and salt. Slowly pour boiling water into cornmeal mixture, stirring
constantly till the mixture is well blended. Cook, uncovered, on 100% power
(high) for 6-8 minutes or till very thick, stirring every minute. Spray a
12x8x2 inch baking dish with nonstick coating. Spread polenta in dish.
Cover, cool 45 minutes or chill overnight.
In a 2-quart casserole combine meat and onions. Cook, covered, on high 5-7
minutes or till no pink remains, stirring once. Drain; set mixture aside.
In the casserole combine corn, green pepper, Italian seasoning, and pepper.
Cook, covered, on high 5-6 minutes or till green pepper is crisp-tender.
Stir in meat mixture and pimento.
Cut polenta into 24 squares; arrange on platter. Cook, covered with wax
paper, on 70% power (medium-high) 4-5 minutes till heated through. Transfer
to serving plates. Cook meat mixture, covered, on high for 1.5-2.5 minutes
or till hot. Serve with polenta slices.
Makes 6 servings.
TIME
Preparation Time: 50 min.
Cooking Time: 28 min.
Submitted by: Cynthia Krueger (skrueger/granite.cyg.net)
Posted to rec.food.cooking by Dave (davidg/rutgers.edu) on 25 Aug 1996.
Polenta Cake
A marvelous simple cornmeal cake from the Alps in Italy. Perfect for
breakfast. If making this cake for dessert, serve with berries and a
touch of whipped cream.
1 stick sweet butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 1/4 tsp. sugar
2 large egg yolks
grated zest of 1/2 orange
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise OR 1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup unblanched almonds
1/4 cup potato starch or cornstarch
1/2 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 large egg whites
confectioners' sugar for sprinkling
Oven - 325 degrees.
Generously butter 8- to 9-inch kugelhopf or bundt pan. Place butter, 1/2
cup sugar, egg yolks and citrus zests in large bowl. If using vanilla
bean, scrape seeds from pod into butter mixture or add extract. Beat
until light and creamy.
In food processor, combine nuts, starch, cornmeal, and baking powder.
Process until powdery. Sift this mixture onto sheet of wax paper (if
bits of nuts remain in sifter, return them to mixture).
Beat egg whites with remaining 1/4 tsp. sugar until they form soft
peaks. Gently fold dry ingredients and 1/2 of beaten egg whites into
butter mixture, fold in remaining whites just until incorporated.
Gently scrape batter into pan.
Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes
out clean, usually about 40 minutes. Do not overbake.
Cool cake briefly in pan on wire rack. Run the tip of knife around the
sides of cake to loosen it from pan; invert onto rack. Sprinkle with
confectioners' sugar. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature.
Posted by Carl Dillman to rec.food.cooking on 24 Oct 1997.
Polenta Casserole
1/2 lb Sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed
1/2 lb Hot Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 tbs olive oil
1 lg onion, chopped
1 lg celery stalk, chopped
1 med carrot, chopped
28 oz can plum tomatoes in purée (Progresso)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
basil, oregano and rosemary, to taste
2 cups polenta (corn grits)
6 cups water or broth (chicken or vegetable)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 lb Fontina or mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
Prepare polenta: In 4-quart saucepan, bring 6 cups broth (or water) to
boil, add 1 tsp salt. Using a wire whisk, slowly sprinkle in polenta,
whisking to prevent clumps. Lower heat to medium, and cook until mixture
is very thick, about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat,
and stir in Parmesan Cheese. (I use a double boiler, so I do not have to
stir as often) Turn out polenta onto waxed paper to cool.
Sauce: In a 5-quart dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook sausage
until browned, stirring with a spoon to break up. Drain in collander.
In same dutch oven using hot olive oil, cook onion, celery, and carrot
until browned. Stir in sausage and tomatoes with the purée; heat to
boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove cover
and simmer 10 minutes longer.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease 13" by 9" glass baking dish. Divide polenta in half. Spread
one-half of polenta in baking dish; top with half the tomato/sausage
sauce, then half the shredded cheese. Repeat with remaining polenta and
sauce.
Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake
about 20 minutes longer or until mixture is hot and bubbling. Let stand
15 minutes for easier serving.
Notes: I like to use part Fontina and part Mozzarella cheese.
Posted by Wilkinson (maverick/hal-pc) to rec.food.cooking on 23 Jan 1998.
Polenta Topper
Newsgroup: rec.food.cooking
camphead design wrote:
> I am still experimenting trying to find a good sauce for polenta.
Posted by Bob Y (rdyoung/wcc.net) on 05 Feb 1998:
Try this. Fry one Italian sausage per serving and slice into coins.
Slice up some onion and green pepper (or whatever color/combo of peppers
you prefer). Saute the peppers and onions in some olive oil until
tender. Add some chopped or crushed tomatoes and the sausage to heat
through. Salt and black pepper to taste. Serve over fried or grilled
polenta slices. This is also good on a roll as a sandwich.
Posted by Becky/camphead design (camphead/ibm.net) on 7 Feb 1998:
This may not qualify as a sauce, but I had a "Polenta Salad" at a
restaurant recently which was grilled polenta topped with not-quite-
sauteed-just-warmed spinach, garlic, shallots and a balsamic vinegar
dressing. Can't remember if there was anything else in it -- maybe walnuts?
Posted by lizr/ticnet.com on 12 Feb 1998:
Mix it with green chiles and very sharp cheddar cheese then bake for
about 30 minutes until a crust forms on top. Yes, that's cheese grits
but it's pretty much the same difference
Posted by Jan (jrg14/cornell.edu) on 12 Feb 1998:
I like a realy spicy tomato sauce, lots of onion, garlic, and red pepper
flakes.
Re: Polenta?
If you go to
Epicurious.com and click on their food homepage
and then enter "polenta" in the dictionary window, it will give you the
definition and links to recipes. Though currently made with cornmeal, it
was originally made with a buckwheat meal (prior to intoduction of corn
to Europe).
Posted by Bob Y (rdyoung/wcc.net) to rec.food.cooking on 08 Mar 1998.
Polenta, Angelo e Demone
Has several polenta recipes:
Polenta, Angelo e Demone
Polenta (Cornmeal)
This is the basic recipe (since I have multi food intolerance) I do leave
out the cheese and use margarine instead of the butter. It is very easy to
make and you can put in almost anything you like, the variations are
endless........
2 cups coarsely ground cornmeal
8 cups water
1 tbs. salt (I omit the salt since the cheese is at time salty)
1 handful of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (this cheese give a better taste than the others)
1 Tbs. butter/margarine
In a large heavy saucepan bring water to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium low and add salt. (Important not to add salt before
the water boils).
Very slowly add the cornmeal at this point I lower the heat temperature (I
usually put it into a sieve so I can control the amount that goes in, this
way you can prevent the lumps from forming) stir constantly with a long
large wooden spoon. After all the cornmeal has been added cook for about
40-50 mins.
As it is cooking the Polenta will thicken and it will bubble. Keep stirring
and crush or discard any lumps that may form.
When cooked add the butter and cheese. (At this point you can add almost
anything you like, you may omit the cheese. My family likes to have tomato
sauce or pesto sauce added at this point).
Once Polenta starts coming off the sides of the pan then it is cooked.
To serve soft place Polenta in a casserole dish, top with your favorite
sauce e.g.: tomato, meat, cheese or pasta sauce.
To serve with a firmer consistency place Polenta in a flat casserole dish
and let it set for a few minutes (it will be easier to cut), cut into
slices or squares. The slices can be grilled, fried or baked and topped
with your choice of sauce and cheese.
When I make my Polenta, I usually make enough to have half recipe soft and
half a firmer consistency, this way you a multi choice of recipes you can
have on hand e.g.:
* grill a not too thin slice and you can use it as bread during a meal.
* cut a thin slice and top it off with tomato sauce and cheese and you have a pizza slice.
Hope you all will like this very delicious dish as much as my family and I
do.
Posted by Clelia to the Celiac list on 27 Mar 1998.
Polenta with Bell Pepper Sauce
This, now this was really good. Except the person who didn't like
the polenta before still didn't like the polenta [but he said the
sauce was good -- it was!]. No matter, I thought it was fabulous,
but now I have all this polenta I don't know what to do with (make
cornbread, I guess).
3 red bell peppers (I used 2 red, 1 yellow)
1 onion, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
thyme
basil
1 teaspoon honey
freshly ground black pepper
3 handfuls brown mushrooms
4 dried mushrooms, soaked in warm water
3 1/2 cups water or veg stock
2/3 cup grated cheese
Char the peppers, let cool. Peel; remove stems and seeds. Chop.
Saute onion in a little water or oil; Add tomatoes, peppers, garlic and
thyme, basil and black pepper to taste. Stir in honey. Lower heat
and cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until mixture reduces and thickens.
Pile into a food processor and puree. Keep warm.
Finely chop the mushrooms. Saute in a little oil. Season with
black pepper.
Bring liquid to a boil. Slowly add polenta, whisking constantly.
Lower heat and continue to cook, stirring constantly, about 20
minutes. Drizzle in additional water if mixture gets too thick.
Stir in cheese and season liberally with black pepper.
To serve, spoon polenta into bowl. Cover completely with bell
pepper sauce; pile some mushrooms on top.
I didn't serve anything alongside this (ran off to Whole Foods as
soon as it was done) but it needed an accompaniment. I have no
suggestions, though.
Posted by Stephanie da Silva to rec.food.veg.cooking on 29 May 1998.