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Creamy Polenta with Butter and Parmesan
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Source: https://recipheon.com/en/recipes/main-dishes/creamy-polenta-with-butter-and-parmesan
About this recipe
Creamy polenta with butter and Parmesan is a soft, hot cornmeal dish with a delicate texture and a pronounced cheese flavor. Start with dry, medium-coarse cornmeal for polenta, which needs about 45–50 minutes of gentle cooking. Choose a non-instant version with this cooking time listed on the package: the longer cooking lets the grains soften and gives the mixture a creamy consistency. Pour the cornmeal into salted water in a thin stream, stirring vigorously so no lumps form. After that, use low heat, a partially covered pot and regular stirring along the bottom. Add the butter and finely grated Parmesan after taking the pot off the heat, so they combine evenly with the hot polenta. These quantities make four side-dish portions; allow about an hour and 10 minutes from preparing the ingredients to serving. Divide the polenta immediately after finishing it, while it is soft and spreads slowly in the bowl, as it thickens noticeably as it cools.
Ingredients
Polenta
250 g dry, medium-coarse yellow cornmeal for polenta, not instant and not pre-cooked; choose a product with a cooking time of 45–50 minutes on the package
1250 ml drinking water
5 g fine salt
40 g unsalted butter
80 g Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano), without the rind, to be finely grated
Steps
Finely grate the Parmesan so it blends easily into the hot polenta. Cut the butter into small pieces and set both ingredients aside to finish the dish.
Pour all the water into a heavy-bottomed pot with a capacity of about 3 l and add all the salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; this takes about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and reduce the heat so the water bubbles gently.
Pour in the cornmeal in a thin, steady stream, whisking the water vigorously the entire time. Whisk for about 2 minutes, until all the cornmeal is in the pot and no dry lumps remain. Once the mixture starts to thicken, switch from the whisk to a sturdy spoon or spatula.
AI-generated After adding the cornmeal, cook over low heat for about 45–50 minutes; the mixture should bubble gently, not splatter vigorously. Between stirs, cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar to reduce water evaporation. Stir thoroughly every few minutes, reaching the bottom and sides, and stir more often as the polenta thickens so it does not burn. Near the end, let a small sample cool briefly on a spoon and taste it: the grains should be soft, with no hard, sandy texture, and the mixture thick but still soft.
AI-generated Take the pot off the heat and add all the prepared butter and the finely grated Parmesan. Stir vigorously for about 3 minutes, until the butter melts, the cheese blends evenly into the polenta and the mixture becomes creamy and subtly glossy. The finished polenta should flow slowly off a spoon rather than stay on it in a firm lump.
AI-generated Immediately divide the hot polenta among four shallow bowls or plates and serve. It should spread softly under its own weight; do not leave it in the pot to cool, as it will thicken and start to set.
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