10 Reviews of Polenta

From: Elisa72

On Mar 29, 2008

I wanted a recipe for plain, authentic Italian polenta and this fit the bill! It's the same basic recipe as the one in my Northern Italian Cooking cookbook so I didn't have to add yet another polenta recipe to 'zaar! The only thing I would add to the very clear instructions here is that my cookbook says the polenta is done when it comes away cleanly from the sides of the pot. That may make it a little easier to tell when it's done. Thanks for this great recipe!

From: jilkat25

On Feb 27, 2005

This was the first time I had made polenta completely from scratch. I definitely wanted a polenta that would “set up” fast and that didn’t have cheese in it. I thought it might be runny so I measured out 3 cups of polenta and 7 cups of water. It dissolved just fine, no lumps, and I stirred it constantly with a strong wisk, thinking it would lose its graininess and raw taste in about 15 or 20 minutes. Uh, no! I ended up adding at least 3 more cups of water at one point or another and stirred that pot for a solid hour!! I finally had to get ready to go to a meeting so I chucked the whole business into a big glass bowl greased with olive oil and put it in the microwave on high for 10 minutes. Before I left the house I put part of it into a fish-shaped mold and part into a dozen little ring molds and just let them rest upside down (so they didn’t dry out) until I got home later. I used the rings as a base for some Italian sauteed tender beef with fresh herbs, tomatoes and with sliced artisan mozzerella cheese. Everyone loved them, but my arm was sore for days! I used the large mold the next day. I sliced it in half long-wise and “frosted” the center with a ricotta mixture like you’d put in lasagna and put more of that all around the “fish” in a baking dish, also piled with spinach that I had steamed with garlic. I baked it covered about 40 minutes or til the ricotta had set. I had turned the little bit of leftover beef I had into a marinara sauce and spooned that over it at the table. It was super yummy!!

From: Hilltop Farm Guy

On Sep 15, 2006

Excellent. I did substitute 2 cups of beef broth for 2 cups of water, added some garlic powder and, at the end of cooking, I stirred in about 5 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. It was ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. We ate some hot and then put some in a flat pan, let it cool, then cut it into 3 inch squares and fried it in a tad of olive oil. Made a terrific base for fried haddock filets.

From: kwlabear

On Jul 15, 2008

This stuff is fantastic! When I don't want to buy polenta, this is what I use to make my veggie polenta lasagna! It's a great sub for wheat ingredients for celiac sufferers.

From: Barb Gertz

On Nov 26, 2003

We love pelenta. This recipe gives a lot of different ways to use it. We like it with Marinaia sauce or Sp, sauce. I made it wirh artichoke & garlic Sausages with Marinaia Sauce. added shredded parmasan cheese to polenta. Then put polenta on plate with a slice of M Jack cheese on top added Marinara sauce and sausage, Delicious. The remaining polenta I put in small dish to slice & fry. Thank you for the recipe with so many ideas on ways to serve polenta.

From: 3KillerBs

On Jan 27, 2009

Not a recipe for a beginner. With no indication of what heat to use, how thick is too thick, or any other such details I had to give up with a sore shoulder after an hour of stirring a paste so thick I could stand my wire whisk with the long, heavy handle in it. I glopped it out into the pan I had ready for molding and stuck it into a slow oven to try to bake the raw taste out of it.

From: Sharon123

On Apr 16, 2007

I quartered the recipe for 2 people and it worked great! It only took about 10 minutes. I added a pat of butter, salt and some grated Cheddar cheese on top. Yummy!

From: Chef Kate

On Feb 2, 2005

Such a clear explanation of fool-proof, lump-free polenta. Thank You!

From: 417990

On Mar 18, 2008

Great dish...needs a little dressing up tho, I added some sliced or minced garlic, cheese(parm/mozz mix), and a medium ruff chop of parsley. Cook till it boils, then throw it in the oven for about 25 min(375 deg.). Poor in a tray,Let cool in tray till firm, then grill and enjoy with anything.

From: SaraStar

On Oct 9, 2007

I also quartered the recipe. It was easy and quick, great description of the technique. However, by itself the flavor is a little bland; I had to add about 1 Tbsp of butter and 2 Tbsp of grated Romano to it to add some flavor. I also would have liked a little more information on how to grill or fry slices; I tried and it wound up just warmed through, which I presume isn't the desired result since I could have done THAT in the microwave... I was hoping for a nice crust on one or both sides, but couldn't get it to form.