Slow Cooked Polenta

I've done this before, but I just can't stop raving about the joy of this stuff.  This is not quick cooking polenta.  This is simply coarsly ground cornmeal that gets to soak up a lot of water.

Also, it goes perfectly with braised short ribs.  So I had to write about it again, just so you could experience them together, as it should be.

Heat up a box of stock.

Add a box of water.

This isn't rocket science, people.  The stock adds flavor, but we want to stretch out the cooking time with this one, which means we need more liquid.  So we add water.  I like to fill the empty stock vessel to retrieve any extra flavor that might still be hidden in there.

Get some good polenta. 

Stone ground is best.  Corn is essential here. 

Now I'm just bein' silly.

When the liquids boil stir in one to two cups of polenta, depending on how many people you're feeding.  And the size of your saucepan- you need some room to groove here.  In the apartment, I'd definitely only do a cup.  It expands a lot anyway.

Now, lower to a simmer, whisk occasionally, and add water when it gets thick.

Do this for a long time.  Hours.  You want those starchy grains to explode into soft globules of deliciousness.  This takes a lot of patience.

What should you do while your polenta cooks?

Enjoy the lovely spring weather we're having:

Stop and smell the roses (you know what I mean):

(Thanks Sanne, they were lovely)

Eat some cheese and crackers:

That would be aged gouda with black pepper crackers and currant jelly.  It did the trick.

I keep the polenta pretty loose until about thirty or forty minutes before I know we're going to eat.  Then I crank the heat up a bit and start stirring more frequently.  It's perfectly creamy when it's time to eat.

Which is now.

Enjoy.

Playing,
Meredith