m. c. de marco: The New Kitchen Cookbook

Polenta

The internet recommends making your own polenta, but I had a tube of it from Trader Joe’s and I wanted an easy side for a chicken that was already in the oven, so I did the following.

Ingredients

  • 1 tube polenta
  • rosemary
  • garlic powder
  • salt
  • red pepper flakes
  • olive oil

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° (with convection).
  2. Generously oil a baking pan or cookie sheet.
  3. Slice the polenta into ¾" thick rounds.
  4. Rub the slices around in the oil (both sides).
  5. Sprinkle with spices. (Go easy on the red pepper flakes if they’re good ones.)
  6. Bake 20–30 minutes.

Variants

You can fry them in a pan, which I would have done if the oven weren’t already going.

I’ve also spiced them with black pepper, black seed (nigella), sage, and/or savory.

The serving size of instant polenta is ¼ c. Boil a cup of water per ¼ c. polenta, salt to taste, then cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Cook longer if you want it thicker.

You can also microwave a single serving of instant polenta on high for 4–5 minutes (stirring once), optionally with olive oil. Consult the internet for larger quantities.