Perfecting Polenta

In this week’s New York Times column, “The  Minimalist,” Mark Bittman writes about “Taking the Fear Out of Polenta.” For such a simple creation – it’s just cornmeal and water, forpetessake – polenta has a bad reputation among home cooks.

“Polenta, as we know, suffers from the misguided belief that it’s a hassle to make. Experts say you have to “rain in the grain” — adding the cornmeal to a large pot of water while constantly stirring to avoid lumps. And purists can be fussy about what type of cornmeal to use. These notions serve to intimidate the novice or average cook,” Bittman writes.

His recipe calls for us to make a “slurry” of cornmeal and cold water in a pan, then bring it to a boil over not-too-high heat and simmer until ready. Sound advice.

But, I still prefer chef Gordon Hamersley’s version, which I discovered (and blogged about) last year and found so easy and dependable that I now make it frequently, topped with some type of stew or braised meat. It’s ideal fare during these cold, wet months.

Hamersley, who’s won just about every food award there is during the 22 years that Hamersley’s Bistro has been open in Boston’s South End, also suggests a slurry of cornmeal and water. However, he lets the mixture steep a few minutes then adds it to a pot of boiling water. I find the resulting cooked polenta to be significantly creamier than polenta cooked the traditional way (“rain in the grain”) or Bittman’s way (adding polenta to cold water).

Here’s Hamersley’s recipe, taken from his book “Bistro Cooking at Home” which is available at Amazon.com. You can top it with the lip-smacking Chicken Piperade that I blogged about last time. Or, for a hearty, handsome and total no-brainer dinner, top the polenta with Cuisine Solutions’ frozen New Zealand Lamb Shanks. Packaged individually, the fully cooked shanks are tender and delicious in a savory veal stock sauce with mint and rosemary. A box of  four huge shanks (52 ounces) costs less than $20 at Costco. The luscious-looking polenta in this photo is from a charming and useful blog called "MyHusbandHatesVeggies."

 

BASIC POLENTA

2 quarts water

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, or more to taste

2 cups medium-ground cornmeal, or a combination of fine and medium

Bring 1 quart of water and the salt to a boil in a large saucepan.

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal and the remaining quart of water and stir to combine. Let the cornmeal absorb some of the water for about 2 minutes.

Gradually whisk the polenta and water from the bowl into the boiling water. Continue to whisk until the polenta begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.

Lower the heat to low and cook the polenta, stirring well every few minutes, until the polenta begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and has a soft, creamy texture, about 45 minutes. (If the polenta sputters and makes a mess, partially cover the pan.)

If you are making basic polenta to serve as is, add 5 tablespoons softened unsalted butter and ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese and stir well to combine. As the polenta sits, it will begin to thicken. If it becomes thicker than you like, add a litte more water or some milk and stir to combine.