Today's tip

Polenta is unbelievably versatile.

Polenta, the Italian version of Grits, is cornmeal cooked in water with seasonings until it reaches a dense, porridge-like texture. The one thing you do not want is lumps in your polenta; polenta, when cooked, should be smooth on the tongue. The beauty of polenta is not only its flavor but also its texture, and once it’s cooked you can eat it flowing and piping hot or let it cool and solidify.

You can then bake it, fry it, or grill it. It is unbelievably versatile. I could give you a thousand ways to enjoy it, because that’s how many ways we ate it while we were growing up. It is delicious poured into a bowl and served as is, or allowed to chill and sliced, at which point you can grill or fry it for the next day’s meal. You can even make a “mosaic” by folding diced cooked vegetables into the soft polenta, packing it into a loaf pan while it is still warm, then allowing it to chill. When you cut the chilled loaf into slices, the vegetables will form a mosaic and make an even prettier presentation when cooked.

Watch my Master Class on polenta here: