Polenta or Cornmeal Mush
Ingredients
Directions
Make the polenta
Bring the water to a boil.
Add the salt.
Whisk in the polenta. Pour it in a slow, steady stream so that lumps don't form.
Lower the heat.
Cook about 30 minutes while stirring.
Alternatively, cook the polenta in a double boiler over simmering water for 45 minutes, stirring it every 15 minutes or so.
Keep it over the heat in a double boiler until needed.
Set and slice
Pour it into a pan and set aside.
After a while, it will cool and firm up.
Turn it out of its pan.
Cut into ½-inch slices.
Cook the slices
Brush both sides of each slice with olive oil.
Cook until lightly browned.
Fry the slices in butter or olive oil until lightly browned.
Fry the slices until crisp.
Use the slices as layers in a casserole.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Polenta
- Forms the bulk of the dish, setting firm as it cools so it can be sliced.
- Water
- Hydrates the cornmeal so it cooks into a soft, porridge-like mass.
- Olive oil (in the method)
- Conducts heat and promotes browning and crispness on the slice surfaces.
The step that matters
Whisk in the polenta slowly. Adding cornmeal to hot liquid in a slow, steady stream and whisking keeps it dispersed, so lumps don't form as the starch hydrates and thickens.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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