My basic go-to polenta recipe. I use this all the time for any recipe calling for grits or polenta. Especially good for Shrimp & Grits!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Cornmeal (I prefer course ground, but any will work)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Butter
- Cream (optional)
- Chicken Stock (optional)
Directions
Stir cornmeal into 4 cups of water until fully incorporated and no lumps. Helps to add slowly and not dump it in all at once. Use a whisk to stir it… better than a spoon.
Heat over high to boiling while stirring periodically. Cut heat back to medium and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring often.
Polenta will thicken and begin to firm up. Add 1 Tbs of butter and, if too thick, up to 1 more cup water, adding 1/4 cup at a time until you reach the consistency you want.
At this point, you can either serve the polenta with the meal, add some parmigiano-reggiano to taste or you can pour out into a 9×11 dish for a thin layer or an 8×8 for a thicker layer, let cool in the fridge and cut it into some kind of decorative pieces.
Notes
Basic proportions are 4 parts liquid to 1 part cornmeal. So if I’m using 1 cup of cornmeal, then I use 4 cups liquid. I have to say that out loud because in the midst of cooking, I get confused and have a tendency to read a total of 4 parts and I want to use 3 Cups… wrong!
Depending on the flavor palette of the meal, you can use a proportionate mixture of cream to water to make up the 4 cups or use chicken (or vegetable) broth. That’s really all about what flavor you’re going for. For a rich shrimp and grits, I like it on the creamier side, but for an accompaniment to a meat dish, I’ll tend towards chicken broth.
