What is Polenta?

Polenta is a classic Italian dish that is made from cornmeal and can be manipulated in many different ways. This savory addition to any meal can be perfectly smooth and silky, chilled, cut, and fried for a crispy element, or used as almost a substitute for pizza dough. Polenta is so versatile and easy to make that there’s no one who couldn’t cook it perfectly, and you can even make it vegan with no problem.

Recipe

  1. Start by chopping up an onion, 2 tomatoes, and two cloves of garlic.
  2. Saute the onion in some olive oil until translucent, and then add in the garlic for 30 seconds.
  3. Toss in the chopped tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes and then add in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, some fresh or dried chopped rosemary, and 1 cup of stock or water.
  4. Bring the mixture to a simmer for about 7-10 minutes and then add in 1 cup of the polenta.
  5. Using a whisk to mix the polenta well and cook until it becomes thick, usually about 5 minutes.
  6. Take the polenta off the heat and at this time you can stir in some type of cheese if you want it cheesy, or omit it if you want to keep it vegan.