Creamy Polenta with Savory Sauces

Makes
6 servings
Cook Time
1-3/4 hours
Active time plus cooling
10 minutes active

Polenta, a cornmeal porridge, can be a disappointment in the U.S., often weighed down with cheese and fat. Not to mention all that whisking. But in Italy we found a better way to make polenta with no cheese, no butter, and not much stirring. Coarse cornmeal is sprinkled into a generous amount of boiling salted water, stirred vigorously for 10 minutes, covered and left for about an hour. One more vigorous stir and it's done. The porridge is light and fresh and the corn really shines through. We followed that lead, using more water than called for in conventional recipes, but found that combining the cornmeal with cold, not boiling, water, then bringing the entire pot to a simmer, prevented clumping. We finished cooking the polenta in the oven rather than the stovetop which gave us more consistent, gentle heat. For the best flavor and texture, use coarse stoneground cornmeal; fine cornmeal produced pasty, gluey polenta, while steel-ground cornmeal had less flavor. We liked Bob’s Red Mill coarse-grind cornmeal and its polenta corn grits, but found that different brands can cook up with slightly different consistencies. The finished polenta should be pourable; if it’s too thick, thin it with water as needed. This polenta is perfect side to braises, such as Tuscan beef and black pepper stew. It can also be paired with a flavorful sauces.

Tip

Don’t use white cornmeal. Its flavor is milder than yellow cornmeal. (In Italy, it is used mostly for sweet preparations.) And don’t skip the whisk for stirring the polenta as it cooks; its wires are more effective than a wooden spoon for breaking up lumps.

Ingredients

2
cups coarse stone-ground yellow cornmeal (see note)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
⅓
cup all-purpose flour
6
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Step 1

Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. In a large Dutch oven, whisk together the cornmeal, 1 tablespoon salt and 11 cups water. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high, stirring frequently to prevent clumping. Transfer the pot, uncovered, to the oven and bake for 1 hour.

Step 2

Remove the pot from the oven. Carefully whisk until smooth, then use a wooden spoon to scrape along the bottom and into the corners of the pot to loosen any stuck bits. Return the pot, uncovered, to the oven and cook until the cornmeal is thick and creamy and the granules are tender, another 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the cornmeal used.

Step 3

Remove the pot from the oven. Vigorously whisk the polenta until smooth and use the wooden spoon to scrape the bottom, sides and corners. Let stand for 5 minutes. The polenta should thicken just enough for a spoon to leave a brief trail when dragged through; whisk in additional water, if needed, to adjust the consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Ladle 4 cups into the prepared baking dish and smooth it to an even layer. Cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, or up to two days.

Step 4

Remove the polenta from the baking dish by inverting it onto a cutting board. Cut into 9 squares. In a shallow dish, whisk the flour and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper, then use to lightly coat all sides of each square, shaking off excess.

Step 5