Sides

Creamy Polenta

Recipe from Dishing up Vermont Cookbook.

This simple recipe is creamy, fluffy, and tasty. Adapt with your favorite herbs.

Prep Time

0 minutes

Cook Time

60 minutes

Yield

4 Servings

Ingredients

6 cups water (or stock)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup polenta (medium or coarse)
6 ounces butter (Euro-style)
2 cups cheese, aged sheep (coarsely grated or substitute Asiago, Fontina, Gruyere or a combination)
  black pepper, ground
  parsley, fresh (chopped (or chives, tarragon, chervil))

Instructions

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add salt. Bring the remaining 3 cups of water to a simmer in another medium saucepan.

Whisking constantly, add polenta in a slow steady stream to salted boiling water. Reduce heat to medium-low, whisking until smooth. As polenta thickens, use a wooden spoon to stir. Stir in 1 cup of simmering water and continue to cook on medium-low. Cook until polenta is soft, creamy, tender, and pulls away from the pan - this can take up to 50 minutes depending on the coarseness of the polenta. You may need to add more simmering water if the polenta gets too thick.

When the desired texture is achieved, remove polenta from stovetop. Add butter and cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped herbs and serve warm.