Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Parmesan Parsley Polenta

Wow, trying saying that three times fast!

This was the very first time I've made polenta from scratch and I neglected to read about the whole "gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking" thing so it was lumpy. No worries, one of my dinner party guests, Goran, stood there lovingly whisking and smoothing the lumps out for a good 10 minutes. Thanks again Goran!!

~2 Tbsp olive oil
small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart (4 cups) vegetable stock
1 cup coarse cornmeal
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
~1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
~2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

In a medium pot, heat the oil and add the onion and a little salt to sweat until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and saute for a few minutes.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. (This is not just a suggestion, it's important!)

Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent lumps. When the mixture is cooked and creamy, add the butter, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese, stirring until everything is mixed and warmed through. Last, stir in the parsley.

Serve immediately, or spread onto a cake pan and let cool to serve in slices.

I opted to serve immediately, as a delicious bed under my roasted duck. It was the perfect compliment! Now that I know how to make this, polenta is going to make more appearances with our dinners. It's so easy to switch it up each time with different mix ins.

8 comments:

Amanda (Two Boos Who Eat) said...

mmm delicious! I love making polenta from scratch, I haven't done it in a while. I make cheddar jalapeno polenta with pork. So good.

Christina said...

oh yummmm cheddar jalapeno sounds divine!!

Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said...

I hardly ever eat polenta but this sounds so good! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I just bought a tube of polenta from TJs - I haven't eaten it in forever - I like to bake it and eat it with roasted veggies & pasta sauce :)

Aubree Cherie said...

Ha ha, the title does seem like a mouthful, but this potenta dish looks delicious!

~Aubree Cherie

Matilda said...

This reminds me that polenta is one of my favorite dishes. With mushrooms and asiago cheese...
Thanks for sharing!

SkippyMom said...

Okay well obviously your blog is a bit disjointed by not adding links or I need to read from the beginning until the present.

At least my guess was right - I didn't realize that you did your dinners in several posts. How tantalizing to make your readers wait to know how to make the full menu. :) Love it.

My apologies for my earlier question and will read beyond to discover your secret to the carrots.

And my vert word is ducke - how funny.

Christina said...

SkippyMom,
I'm not sure why you feel the need to add little insults in w/ your comments - "incomplete recipe" and saying my posts are "disjointed." That's a little harsh.

I don't post my dinners in several posts. I had a massive dinner party for Project Food Blog in which I cooked maybe a dozen recipes in one day, so I spread the posts out so it wouldn't be overwhelming to readers.

Most of my regular dinners are shared in one post w/ photos and recipes.

You can run your blog the way you like, just let me run mine the way I like.

Thanks!