Today I’m going to share with you how to make a traditional Italian Polenta. This is very simple, delicious and it is a versatile dish. You can combine the polenta with almost everything. For those who are not familiar with the Italian polenta, it is a porridge made from cornmeal. It is also called the sun from the plate. As this is an ancient dish, you will find it in a lot of countries around the globe with different names and variations.
Let me share with you just a few of them:
In some regions of the United States, you will find the Polenta as “Cornmeal mush”. In Serbia and Bulgaria, it is called “Kačamak”. In Montenegro is called “Pura”. In Macedonia, you will find it under the name of Bakrdan. In Hungary is called “Puliszka”. In Romania and the Republic of Moldova, it is named “Mamaliga” (mama-LEE-gah).
And this is only a small part of this cornmeal porridge.
Back in the days, the Polenta has actually used as a peasant’s food. It was often used as a substitute for bread, but nowadays even if it’s cooked from simple and cheap ingredients, it is used largely in many fancy restaurants.
Due to its fine taste, it allows you to make very interesting combinations with other ingredients.
Polenta is extremely easy and cheap to make. The best part about the Italian polenta is that you don’t have to be an advanced cook to make a perfect creamy polenta.
As I said earlier, polenta is a versatile dish, and it can be cooked in a lot of variations.
If you want to make it grainy, then leave the cornmeal as it is. If you want it to be more smooth and creamy, then grind the cornmeal until it will obtain corn flour.
Also, instead of water, you can boil the cornmeal into the milk for an extra flavor. You can add butter, different cheeses, sour cream, or different aromatic herbs, and so on.
You can eat it as is, served with some caramelized onions on top of the polenta. You can serve it near a vegetable stew (check our delicious Peperonata recipe), or as my favorite, serving the polenta near a meat stew.
Polenta also can be used as a quick and delicious snack.
For that, make the polenta a little denser (just add less water or more cornmeal). After that, pour it into a square pan, let it cool down. After the polenta will cool down, it will harden and the cutting process will be a lot easier.
After that cut the polenta into slices like for french fries, and fry them a little on the tray.
I’m sure that you will get in love with that crunchy texture. You will get something between the french fries and Mexican tortilla chips. Yummy!
Just experiment with polenta to find out your favorite combination.
Continue reading if you want to make this wonderful polenta. And don’t forget to share the recipe with your friends.
What ingredients do you need for a Creamy Polenta?
- 1 Cup Cornmeal
- 4 Cups of Milk or Water
- 2 Tablespoons of Butter or Olive Oil
- Parmesan to Taste
- Salt to taste
How to Make a Creamy Polenta:
We will use the proportion of 1/4. That means if you will go with 1 cup of cornmeal, then, you will need 4 cups of water or milk.
Take a pan that is deep enough and with a thick bottom to avoid burning the polenta. I used a non-stick pan to avoid that as much as possible. Pour the water into the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately, still in cold water, pour cornmeal and mix well.
Immediately after that, add salt. Keep mixing until the water starts to boil. Thus, you will avoid the formation of lumps and you will get a creamy and uniform polenta. When the water starts to boil, you will notice that the contents of the pan will start to thicken. At this point, set the fire to a minimum.
After that, add the butter or olive oil.
Quicknote: By using olive oil, you will get a slightly spicier taste. If you use butter, you will get a creamier taste. It depends on the result you want to achieve in the end.
Mix well.
Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for about 30-40 minutes.
In the end, add parmesan or other types of cheese that you prefer. You will obtain an interesting taste if you will use the blue cheeses. Also, keep in mind what you want to serve this polenta with and match the tastes.
Mix well and serve while the polenta is still hot. If you let it cool, the polenta will harden and take the shape of a pan.
Enjoy your meal.
Recipe Card:
Creamy Polenta Recipe With Parmesan Cheese
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Cornmeal
- 4 Cups of Milk or Water
- 2 Tablespoons of Butter or Olive Oil
- Parmesan to Taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
We will use the proportion of 1/4. That means if you will go with 1 cup of cornmeal, then, you will need 4 cups of water or milk.
1. Pour the water into the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately, still in cold water, pour cornmeal and mix well.
2. Add salt. Keep mixing until the water starts to boil. When the water starts to boil, set the fire to a minimum.
3. Add the butter or olive oil.
4. Mix well.
5. Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for about 30-40 minutes.
6. In the end, add parmesan or other types of cheese that you prefer.
7. Mix well and serve while the polenta is still hot.
8. Enjoy your meal.
- Category: Side Dish
Keywords: polenta, recipe, side dish, italian