Creamy Parmesan Polenta

Stone Ground Corn Meal

I mentioned in a previous post that I am exploring alternative side dishes to go with my proteins. We used to stick to some kind of potato dish, but I am trying to change it up. On one of the recent episodes of Top Chef All-Stars, one of the "cheftestants" prepared creamy polenta as a side to go with his dish. Polenta is very similar to a staple Southern food, grits. The difference is that it is made with yellow corn meal instead of white. I've had a hankering to try and make it ever since. I decided to try it  as a side to go with my grilled shrimp and scallops. I've made grits plenty of times, but I decided to stick closely to the recipe I found at  Epicurious.com. I added a clove of smashed garlic to the chicken broth while bringing it to a boil, because, let's face it, everything is better with a little garlic. I didn't use quick cook polenta, and I don't think that it took anymore time than it does to make quick cook grits. Once the consistency was thick, I turned off the heat and added the butter, cream and parmesan (in that order), plus some pepper and a tiny bit of salt. Parmesan is already pretty salty so add salt cautiously. It was really simple to make and, in my humble opinion, just might be better than grits. I am inclined to think no one does grits better than Southerners, but I think the Italians might have us beat on this one. To see what it looks like cooked take a look at my Lemon Garlic Grilled Shrimp post.





Stone ground corn meal


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal (stone ground, not instant)
• 2 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth**
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

Directions:

*Combine water and cornmeal in small bowl.

Bring broth to boil in heavy large saucepan.

Gradually add cornmeal mixture, stirring until well blended. Reduce heat to low and simmer until polenta is very thick, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Mix in 1/2 cup cheese, cream and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer polenta to serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over.

* I think that this step was really essential for the polenta to cook properly. Don't skip it.

**If you want to make this dish vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead.