In polenta paradise? Add cauliflower polenta to your list. Polenta, with its origins in Northern Italy, is made from coarsely ground yellow cornmeal. The dish is prepared by boiling the polenta until it becomes creamy in texture. It can be enjoyed soft, like in this recipe, or cooled then sliced, grilled, fried, or baked until it becomes firm. Polenta has a mildly sweet and earthy flavor, very subtly reminiscent of corn, but absorbs the flavor from other ingredients it is cooked with.
Butternut squash: Adds a sweet and nutty flavor. Reserve the seeds for roasting. Olive oil and butter: To sauté the onion and garlic. Yellow onion and garlic: Create an aromatic base to the dish. Polenta: This recipe calls for polenta rather than cornmeal. They are almost the same product however the consistency of the grain varies. Whole milk: To make it extra creamy, use whipping cream in place of some of the milk. Goat cheese: Makes the meal extra creamy while adding a delicious tang. Spinach: Offers a fresh, leafy green for contrast and added nutrition. Canned pureed pumpkin: Melds with the polenta as the warm base to this dish. (Be careful not to buy pumpkin pie mix, which has spices and sugar added). Dried sage: Imparts an earthy, herbaceous taste. Sea salt: To balance the flavors.
Flavor base – Cooking the onion in butter and oil creates a good base for our polenta, and don’t forget to add the salt. Stir it up – Stirring your creamy polenta while it cooks with a wooden spoon ensures even cooking and helps avoid lumps. Low and slow – Once it reaches boiling point, lower the heat to a gentle simmer. The longer it cooks, the creamier it becomes, so go low and slow! Off the heat – Polenta continues to thicken after you remove it from the heat, as it cools. Cooking until it reaches a mashed potato consistency then taking off the heat works great. Enjoy it immediately!
Grated parmesan cheese. Freshly cracked black pepper. Crushed garlic cloves. Chili flakes. Toasted pine nuts or walnuts. A dollop of basil or sundried tomato pesto. Caramelized onions. Crispy pancetta or bacon bits. Herbs, such as fresh thyme.
Serve it next to a protein, like these braised pork ribs, Italian braised chicken or bacon-wrapped pesto chicken as a complementary, creamy side.
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