Creamy polenta
30 min
This classic Italian dish makes a great accompaniment to meat dishes, particularly those with a rich sauce or gravy.
Maggie Pannell
15 people made this
Ingredients
Serves: 4
- 200g quick-cooking (instant) polenta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 40g butter
- 60g Parmesan, freshly grated
- 2 tbsp crème fraîche
- salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Method
Prep:15min ›
Cook:15min ›
Ready in:30min
- Bring 1 litre of lightly salted water to the boil in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the oil. Gradually tip in the polenta, reduce the heat to a simmer and stir vigorously with a long-handled wooden spoon until the mixture is thick and all the water has been absorbed. Stand back as you do this, as polenta splutters quite dramatically.
- Scrape the polenta away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes.
- Add the butter in thin slices, the Parmesan and the crème fraîche. Season to taste and mix. Serve hot.
COOK SMART
*Buy Parmesan in a piece and grate it yourself. This works out far cheaper than ready grated and has a better flavour. *Cooked polenta can be left to sit in a shallow tin, then cut into wedges and grilled to use as a base for bruschetta.
