Basic Polenta

5 1/2 c water
1 1/2 c polenta grind cornmeal (aka coarse grind)
2-4 tbsp butter (optional)
1/2 – 1 c parmesan (or other cheese), grated (blends work well)
1/2 t. or so of salt
goodly bit of black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
other herbs or spices (optional, I like thyme)

Bring water to boil. When rapidly boiling, add polenta, stirring while you add. Reduce heat to low (or “warm”) — ultimately your polenta will be just barely venting steam or lightly bubbling. Stir every 30 seconds to minute until polenta gets quite thick (this will take 2 – 5 minutes). Once polenta has thickened, stir every few minutes or so, increasing frequency of stirring as it nears completion. Total simmering time of polenta is 20-25 minutes. Don’t cook any less than 17 minutes, even if it seems done. When finished, remove from heat. Stir in butter and seasonings, then stir in cheeses. Serve warm or let set.

Some cheeses I’ve like in polenta include parmesan, sharp cheddar and blue cheese. A blend of any or all of these is great. I tend to prefer more robust cheeses (milder cheeses seem to get lost) and I like to make my polenta extra cheesy; use as much or as little as you like.

Several things are wonderful stirred directly into the polenta, including finely chopped kalamata olives, pesto, roasted red pepper… whatever tickles your fancy

This recipe takes kindly to halving or doubling. Polenta keeps very well. Some of our favorite things to do with polenta:

Polenta Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
One batch of polenta, freshly made
Five or six red bell peppers
Red sauce

You may need a 9x13" pan plus an 8x8" pan to fit all your peppers. Cut them in half, seed them, and then see how they fit in your pan. To assemble, place a bed of red sauce in the bottom of each baking dish-- about 1" thick or so, more if desired. Place your pepper halves cut side up in the dish, then fill with fresh polenta. I like to let the polenta set for a couple of minutes, then spoon a little bit more on top. If you're going to make these in advance, just let the polenta cool to room temperature, cover in foil and refrigerate. When ready to bake, pull them out of the fridge a couple of hours beforehand to let them come to room temperature. Bake at 375° for 30 min. to 1 1/4 hrs., until the peppers are soft but still hold their shape. Let them set for a few minutes after coming out of the oven-- they will be very, very hot. Serve with red sauce from the bottom of the pan spooned over the top of each pepper. You can garnish with freshly grated parmesan and/or freshly ground pepper.
 

Polenta Vegetable Casserole

Modified from Caserola Milanese recipe by the Moosewood Collective

1 batch polenta (for 9x13 pan; half batch for 8x8)
some vegetables (suggestions include eggplant*, carrots, celery, broccoli, bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, rutabaga, onions and/or garlic; in whatever quantities your heart desires) Chop, cut or slice veggies into smallish pieces.
Canned tomatoes for sauce
Cheese for topping

Prepare polenta and place in pan to set. Prepare vegetables using whatever method is easiest for you; either steam individually and combine or sauté together, starting with longest-cooking vegetables. When vegetables are cooked to desired texture, remove from heat, spice as desired (pepper, thyme, basil…), pour on enough tomato sauce to coat vegetables; vary according to taste. Feel free to add a splash of red wine or balsamic vinegar. Spread vegetable/sauce mixture over setting polenta. Thickness of vegetable layer is according to taste; use more or fewer vegetables in the mix to achieve desired thickness. Top with cheese (blend of cheddar and mozzarella or mozzarella and parmesan work well). Use as much or as little cheese as desired. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or so until it seems done (everything is fully cooked, so you’re just heating and melding the dish). Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Tip: To reheat this dish, microwaving works great. However, polenta is so dense that it reheats better when cut into smaller pieces (usually an inch or two square), and reheated at a lower power setting, 70% or so, to allow the heat to permeate the polenta.

*With regards to the vegetable mix in this dish, I have to say that I feel that eggplant is an almost essential ingredient. Of course, I’m an eggplant enthusiast… but I have two reasons for thinking this. First of all, eggplant cooks down quite a bit (remember this when deciding how much to include in the dish—it will usually cook down at least by half, if not more). As such, it forms a sort of thick saucy component that really helps blend all of the vegetables together. Secondly, eggplant has such a rich, smoky flavor that it provides a nice contrast and balance to the rest of the vegetables’ bright flavors. It makes a nice base for the vegetable mix in terms of both texture and flavor.

Cooking Eggplant: Eggplant will absorb a lot of oil while sautéing if you let it. However, it can easily cook beautifully if done right. I prefer to use the sauté method for preparing the veggies for this dish. First I cook the carrots at medium to medium-high heat in a bit of canola oil until they are beginning to brighten in color and soften ever so slightly around the edges. At that point I add the eggplant (what seems like mounds and mounds of eggplant), and continue to sauté, adding other vegetables according to how long they need to be cooked. The moisture from the cooking carrots provides ample moisture for the eggplant, and by the time its done, the eggplant will be a dark grayish-beige in color, quite soft in texture and will retain none of its spongy quality that it has when it’s raw. The most important thing to remember is to cook out all of that sponginess. As much as I love eggplant, spongy eggplant is gross. Until you get the hang of sautéing veggies in sequence, feel free to sauté them individually, or two or three at a time. That way you can be sure, for example, that the eggplant is done while the broccoli still retains its texture and shape. You can also sauté some of the veggies, such as the carrots, onions and eggplant, while steaming veggies like broccoli and zucchini, then combining them when they’re all done.