Quick and Easy Polenta

This is another one of my mom's recipe. It is quick and easy to do. All the grandkids love it. It can be a great side dish for just about any main course. It works great as an after school snack too.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cupsof fine milled cornmeal
• 1 cup of coarse ground cornmeal
• 4 1/2 cups of stock
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp of salt
  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the cornmeal in a mixing bowl and using a whisk, give it a few turns. It will take any lumps out of the cornmeal and make it easier to add to the stock.
2. Heat the stock to boiling in a medium size pan. Then turn the heat down to medium.
3. Using a whisk, keep stirring the stock rapidly, while slowly adding the cornmeal until it is all incorporated into the stock. It is really crucial to keep the stock moving with the whisk while the cornmeal is going in or you will get lumps.
4. Keep stirring until the mixture is hot and starts to bubble. Turn the heat off.
5. Continue to stir. Add the butter and stir it in.
6. Add the salt and stir it in. Taste and add additional salt if desired.
7. Pour the mixture in baking pan. Let it cool completely.
8. Remove from the pan and cut it into squares or triangles.
9. To finish the polenta, you have 2 options:

• The low fat way: Use a cookie sheet with a wire rack to bake the polenta pieces. Using a silicone brush, lightly brush olive oil on both sides and bake at 425F for about 30 min or until golden brown. You can leave it longer if you like them a little more brown. You don't need much olive oil. I usually get away with about 2 tablespoon for the entire batch. It will have a nice crust, but still be tender on the inside. Re-heats very nicely, so its great as a quick snack.
• Coat the bottom of a heavy fry pan with generous amount of olive oil. Heat oil until hot and saute the polenta until golden brown on both sides.
• Serve with pasta sauce as a main entree or with a side of sauce as a snack or side dish.

  

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