Polenta

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 2- to 3-quart saucepan
• •Wooden spoon or stiff whisk
• •Moistened rimmed tray, optional for molded polenta
• •Heavy skillet, optional for browning

Instructions

1. 1

   Boil the water

   Bring the water to a full boil in a heavy saucepan, then add the salt and stir until dissolved. Keep the maize flour beside the stove with a wooden spoon or stiff whisk ready. Once the grain begins to fall, you won't stop stirring to hunt for equipment.

   Use maize flour or cornmeal sold for polenta, not cornstarch and not masa harina. Fine or medium grinding will cook through in the source's twenty-five minutes; coarse polenta needs longer.
2. 2

   Rain in maize

   Stir the boiling water into a steady current, then rain in the maize flour in a thin, continuous stream exactly where the spoon passes. Keep stirring until every grain is incorporated and the mixture returns to a gentle bubble. If lumps form, take the pan off the heat and whisk vigorously while they are still soft. Ça se rattrape: for stubborn lumps, press the mixture through a coarse sieve, return it to the saucepan, and continue.

3. 3

   Cook it fully

   Lower the heat and cook for twenty-five minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom, sides, and corners so nothing catches. The polenta will thicken early, but it isn't ready until the maize tastes tender rather than raw and gritty. If it becomes too stiff before that point, work in boiling water one tablespoon at a time; if it remains loose after twenty-five minutes, cook it uncovered a little longer. It should leave the pan sides cleanly yet fall from the spoon in a slow ribbon.

4. 4

   Mount with butter

   Take the saucepan off the heat. Beat in the butter until fully absorbed, then add the Parmesan and stir until the polenta is glossy and cohesive. This is a small emulsion, so don't leave streaks of melted fat on the surface. If the butter separates, return the pan to the lowest heat and beat in a teaspoon of hot water; the mixture will come together again. Serve at once if you want soft polenta.

5. 5

   Shape and brown

   For the classical molded garnish, spread the finished polenta in a thin, even layer, about 1 cm or ⅜ inch, on a tray moistened with cold water. Cool until firm, then cut it into roundels or lozenges. Brown the pieces on both sides in two tablespoons of the optional butter over medium heat. Let the remaining tablespoon of butter cook until it becomes beurre noisette, butter browned to a hazelnut color and aroma, then spoon it over the pieces and sprinkle with the optional Parmesan. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Rain the maize against the moving spoon, not into a still corner of the pan. That current separates the grains before they can swell against one another and form knots.
• •Instant polenta won't reproduce the source's texture or cooking time. Choose fine- or medium-ground traditional polenta and give it the full twenty-five minutes; the raw cereal taste must disappear.
• •Soft polenta waits badly. If dinner is delayed, cover it directly at the surface and hold it over the gentlest heat, then restore its flow with a spoonful of boiling water before serving.
• •The Parmesan should be finely grated so it melts without strings. Add it off the heat, after the butter, and stir only until the polenta turns smooth and glossy.
• •The molded version is particularly good beside a braise because its browned faces remain distinct under sauce. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.

Advance Preparation

• •For molded polenta, spread the cooked mixture on its moistened tray, cool it within two hours, cover, and refrigerate for up to three days. Cut and brown it shortly before serving.
• •Soft polenta is best served immediately. If it must be made several hours ahead, chill it promptly and reheat it gently with small additions of boiling water, beating until supple before checking the seasoning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)