mulberryshoots

I’ve been experimenting with making polenta for a couple of weeks. At first, I was put off by recipes that said you had to stir it for an half hour over the stove. You don’t have to.

In August, I’ll use fresh corn kernels cut off Silver Queen or Butter & Sugar corn. In the meantime, I add a small can of creamed corn to enhance this dish. It’s yummy!

Here’s the recipe:

1. Measure 1 cup spring water (not tap) and 1 cup milk or light cream in a non-stick skillet or pan. Bring to a boil.
2. Gradually add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of fine yellow cornmeal (I use Quaker Oats brand.) I find that remembering it’s about a 4:1 ratio of liquid to cornmeal that helps not to have to look up the recipe each time.
3. Stir until the cornmeal is blended well with the liquid. Cook over medium heat until it bubbles and thickens slightly. Keep stirring – usually takes about 10 minutes which goes by quickly.
4. When the polenta has thickened and cooked for about 15 minutes from when you started, take it off the heat and open a small can of creamed corn. With the pan still off the heat, add the creamed corn and stir it into the polenta and mix well (gently.)
5. Add a couple of tablespoons of unsalted butter and stir to melt.
6. Add about 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
7. Let the mixture cool at room temperature. Taste for seasoning – I added some sea salt because it was rather bland – up to you.
8. Serve warm in small plates as a side dish.

This creamy corn polenta goes well with grilled kielbasa or barbecued chicken – and a green salad with a tangy vinaigrette. Enjoy!