Everyday Polenta

Your basic polenta -- water, salt, and cornmeal -- just doesn't do it for me. Here's our way to make polenta stand on its own. At Olives, we call this Everyday Polenta because it's always on the menu, but you won't want to eat it every day: it's simply too rich.

Jazz this up by topping it with a dollop of eggplant caponata, or serve it with Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Tomato Sauce, Osso Buco of Veal, or Gingered Slow-Braised Lamb Shanks.

Cornmeal that has been steel-ground has no husk, or flavor. Always use the more nutritious stone-ground cornmeal, which can be found in specialty and health-food stores. Keep it in a cold place for no more than two months; it goes rancid very fast.

Serves 6 to 8

8 cups water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups stone-ground yellow cornmeal
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light or heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste

Place the water and salt in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Gradually pour in the cornmeal, whisking all the while. When the mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until the cornmeal begins to thicken, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Slowly whisk in the remaining ingredients. Continue cooking until the polenta just begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Polenta Talk

Polenta can be served soft as soon as it is ready, mashed potato-style, or cooled on a plate or baking sheet until firm, cut into squares or triangles, and then panfried or grilled.

To panfry, place a large skillet over medium-high heat and when it is hot, add a small amount of olive oil. Add the polenta and fry until golden, about 2 minutes per side.

To grill, brush with olive oil and grill until golden, about 2 minutes per side. You can also make great croutons with any leftover polenta. Cut the polenta into 2-inch cubes and then simply toss the cube with a small amount of olive oil. Place in a preheated 450-degree oven and bake until the cubes are lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Placido

My Uncle Placido was a master pastry chef from Venice who had been trained in Paris. He and Aunt Mary owned a small bakery in the Bronx. Whenever we were in Never York, we would go to their house for Sunday dinner. Mary always prepared traditional family fare that her mother, Bettina, had taught her. Placido made the polenta, which he seemed to stir for hours and hours.

I never saw anyone else make polenta until I went to Italy in 1984. There cornmeal mush had been transformed from an everyday staple, eaten because there was nothing else, to haute cuisine, served with the most expensive cuts of meat and fish.

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R E C I P E S :

Lobster cocktail with yellow tomato and horseradish vinaigrette
Garlic scampi and panfried cornmeal-crusted beefsteak tomatoes
Gorgonzola-stuffed figs with balsamic glaze
Roquefort Caesar Salad
Everyday Polenta
Lobster Bolognese
Roast Chicken with Herb and Lemon Paste
Pan-roasted rib eye with gorgonzola vidalia onions
Artichoke-crusted salmon with mint vinaigrette
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

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