CREAMY SAVORY POLENTA1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use 2 cups milk 2 cups water 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup polenta (stone-ground or medium ground yellow cornmeal can be substituted) 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh savory 1/4 cup whipping cream 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1 teaspoon olive oil and set aside. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, bring the milk, water, 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt to a boil over medium heat. Slowly add the polenta, whisking until completely blended. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon. Stir in the savory and continue cooking 5 minutes, or until polenta pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and scrape the polenta into the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly with a thin spatula dipped in water. Let set up for about 1 hour. (The polenta can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate.) WHEN READY TO BAKE:Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the polenta in 12 pieces. Using a slightly smaller baking dish, overlap the polenta slices in the dish. Drizzle with cream and sprinkle with pepper and cheese. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven 25 minutes, until the cream is bubbly. Let set 5 minutes before serving. Servings: 6 Adapted from source: Polenta by Brigit Legere Binns and Debroah Denker
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