Polenta feels like a really underutilised ingredient in the UK. It sits in bags in the aisles of supermarkets begging to be taken home and cooked with and unleash its sweet, nutty magic into your kitchen, but I think lots of us just don’t know what to do with it.
Most supermarkets in the UK sell quick-cook polenta - this is finely milled cornmeal that can be cooked almost instantly. Whilst regular polenta is arguably superior in texture and flavour (it is more coarsely milled, and can take about 45 minutes to cook), it is harder to find in UK supermarkets, so I’m going to make life easier for you by telling you how to make quick-cook polenta really delicious.
This issue of the newsletter is going to help you out, by showing you a couple of really nice ways to serve it. Besides using it in baking (maybe we’ll discuss this another day), there are two schools of thought for me - CRISPY polenta and WET polenta.
You’ll be getting a recipe for each today - polenta fritters with gorgonzola fonduta + slow roast chicken with sundried tomatoes, olives and polenta.
Enjoy!
Sophie x
The Recipes
Polenta Fritters with Gorgonzola Fonduta
One of the best ways to eat polenta is undoubtedly to fry it. Once in contact with oil, it crisps up like a dream, and retains an amazing gooey centre.
You could also bake these if that was easier, but you get the most crisp:goo ratio by frying.
These make an excellent nibble to eat when people first get to your house for dinner.
Serves 8-10 as a nibble
700ml chicken stock or veg stock
150g polenta, plus another 50g to coat
60g parmesan
1/2 packet of chives, plus more to serve
200g gorgonzola dolce
150ml whole milk
salt, pepper and vegetable oil
Pour your chicken stock into a large saucepan, and bring it up to a simmer. Pour in your polenta in a constant stream, whisking all the while so that it doesn’t clump. Simmer it gently for 2 minutes, whisking all the while so that it cooks evenly. When it’s done, it will pull away from the edges of the pan.
Finely chop your chives and add these to the pan, and grate in your parmesan. Give it a good mix, then season it to taste with salt and pepper.
Line a 21cmx21cm square baking dish with cling film, then pour your mixture into it. Smooth it out with the back of a spoon, then pop it in the fridge to chill for an hour.
Once your polenta is firm, tip it out of the dish onto a chopping board, Cut it into 16 squares, then cut each square in half to give you 32 triangles (they freeze really well at this point if you don’t need all of them).
Dust your polenta triangles with your remaining 50g polenta.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, and add a generous glug of vegetable oil. Add a batch of polenta triangles and fry them for a few minutes on each side until golden.
Pop them on a tray lined with paper towel and keep them warm in the oven whilst you fry the rest.
Add your milk to a small saucepan and bring it up to a simmer. Cut your gorgonzola into squares, then add this to the pan. Whisk it to melt it, then let it gently simmer for a couple of minutes.
Pour your gorgonzola fonduta into a bowl, and pop it in a large plate. Surround it with your polenta chips, and sprinkle over a little more chives. Serve them up.
Roast Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes, Olives and Polenta
Wet polenta gives me that sweet, comforting feeling similar to the one mashed potato invokes in me. Both foods are silky and smooth, enriched with butter and milk and little else. Some might say they are bland; I say gentle and uncomplicated. It is perfect silky food for spooning into your mouth on cold winter evenings.
When polenta is meant to be wet, it is important it stays that way. Make sure that the platter or plates that you serve it on have been warmed in the oven, as polenta solidifies quickly at room temperature.
Serves 4