Saturday, January 28, 2023

It's about that time of year ...

... to serve polenta under everything 🎉

Friends, if you've made Paula Wolfert's oven-baked polenta, you already know its genius, but given its simplicity, it's worth highlighting. I've been making it often recently, mostly serving it with quickly sauteed kale and lots of parmesan grated over the top.

Let's review: Unlike stovetop polenta, which requires constant monitoring and stirring, oven-baked polenta is completely hands off: simply combine all of the ingredients in a pot, transfer it to the oven, and one hour later it's done.

Here's how you make it:

Gather your ingredients: 1 cup cornmeal, 5 cups water, 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1 teaspoon salt.

Add all of the ingredients to a large pot and stir to combine — the mixture will not look emulsified.

Transfer the pot uncovered to a 350ºF oven for 40 minutes. Give it a stir; then return to the oven for another 20 minutes or so.

That's it! Top with anything your heart desires. Find a few ideas below. Get the recipe here:

Creamy Oven-Baked Polenta

Note: For this recipe you need one cup of cornmeal, which can be labeled in various ways: corn grits, polenta, or cornmeal. This Bob's Red Mill Brand can be found in most grocery stores, and I like its coarse texture.

What to Serve With Polenta

Quickly sauteed kale: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat, add 10 t0 12 ounces roughly chopped kale, season with salt (and a few shakes of garlic powder — see below — and crushed red pepper flakes), saute for 1 to 2 minutes, then add a splash of vinegar. Done! (Find a similar recipe with escarole here.)

Garlic powder is something I've come to appreciate only very recently: I love this Burlap and Barrel Purple Stripe Garlic, which is a life saver when you don't have the energy to slice up a clove of garlic.