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2. B
ring the heat
down until the pot
sends up only an
occasional bubble
or two (think about
science videos of
lava bubbling —
that’s what you’re
shooting for). Cook
this way, uncovered,
for about an hour,
stirring every once
in a while, just
to make sure the
polenta isn’t sticking
to the bottom of the
pan. After an hour,
stir in salt and butter
to taste.
EAT
THIS
HUFFINGTON
05.12.13
4. W
hen your other components are ready (or
you’re ready to dig into a bowl of polenta on
its own, as we sometimes do), uncover your
polenta pot, set it back over gentle heat,
stir in a few tablespoons of creme fraiche or
sour cream, if you’d like, and taste again for
salt. Serve hot, in abundance.
3. Here’s the important stuff: now, you need to keep this saucepan
covered, over indirect heat to stay warm while you do other stuff.
You can accomplish this in one of two ways: you can use a doubleboiler, or you can do what we do — cut a length of parchment paper
to fit just inside your saucepan, resting on the top of the polenta,
then cover the pan with its lid. In a wider, deeper pot, heat a few
inches of barely simmering water, and put a ramekin in the middle.
Set your polenta pot on top of the ramekin. Leave it there for at
least an hour (it can handle more if you need it, but I wouldn’t leave
it for more than three). Why are you doing this? Your polenta is
made of corn, and the more moisture corn takes in, the creamier
and more tender it gets.
▲ You can top this polenta
with roasted mushrooms and
asparagus, meatballs, Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce with
butter and onion — really anything you want. We’ve even
cooked grits using this method with great success, and you
can reheat any leftovers with a
trickle of water and
a pat of butter.