Perfect Polenta Formula

We love polenta in our house. We like it all different kinds of ways. We like it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. My method for making polenta used to be a bit of a crap shoot. I would put liquid in a pot, boil it and added cornmeal until it was the right consistency. The problem with that was, sometimes I would end up with enough polenta to feed 10 people when it was just 2 of us and other times I would have barely enough. I finally figured out a formula and amount that works best for me. Here is the formula and below are some variations and some things you can do with it.

Polenta

Ingredients
*4 Parts Water
1 Part Whole Milk
1 Part Cornmeal
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Put water and milk in a large pot. Bring to a simmer over med/high heat. In a slow stream, pour the cornmeal into the simmering liquid while whisking. Turn heat down to low/med. Cook, stirring often for about 20 minutes until the cornmeal is soft and the liquid is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.

When polenta sits, it turns into cement so if you're not eating it right away, heat it up with a little more milk.

*For our family of 2 and a half, I found that 2 cups of water, 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup corn meal makes the perfect amount.

This polenta has fresh corn and thyme in it. I served citrus grilled chicken and grilled zucchini with it.

Here are some ideas for things you can add to you polenta:

• Stir some cheese into the hot polenta for an extra punch of flavor. I've used sharp cheddar, fontina, gouda, parmigiano and even American cheese all with yummy results. I've tried blue cheese, but it turns out we don't like warm blue cheese because it was gross, but that was just us.
  
• Stir in some fresh corn cut off the cob for a little more texture and sweetness. Top with fresh basil.
  
• Sautee some thinly sliced garlic and sage in some butter. Gently fold into the finished polenta.

Now that you have the perfect polenta, what do you do with it? Here are some ideas:

• Top with a sauce made of pork cubes stewed in tomatoes, red pepper and fennel.
• Top with braised greens (such as kale or swiss chard) with garlic.
• We like it with a simple fresh tomato sauce.
• Serve under a fish stew.
• Top it with sauteed wild mushrooms.
• Under sausage and peppers.
• Topped with grilled chicken and assorted grilled veggies.
• Under ratatouille.
• Pour the polenta into a baking dish and put it in the fridge. Keep it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or until it is firm. Cut into squares and pan fry them until they are golden brown. Serve the fried squares with tomato sauce.

These are just a few things I've done with polenta, the possibilities are endless, really. Just think that if you can serve it over pasta, you can probably serve it over polenta.