Ingredients
Method
- Cook. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the polenta slowly so each grain gets hit with hot water, stirring as you go.
- Immediately turn the heat down to medium and let it blurp and gurgle for about 10 minutes. Turn the heat to the lowest setting, add the butter and let it go for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom.
- Add the olive oil, salt, and cheese, optional fresh herbs, and stir them all in thoroughly. Serve, and if you wish, put fresh olive oil on the table for drizzling.
For Grilled Polenta
- Chill. Grease the inside of an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan with olive oil. When the polenta has cooled a bit, scrape it into the pan. Refrigerate the pan of polenta for 6 hours or overnight, uncovered, so it can dry and get firm.
- The next day, cut the chilled polenta into rectangles.
- Fire up. Set up your grill for 2-zone cooking and get the direct-heat side moderately hot.
- Cook. Paint the polenta rectangles with a light coating of olive oil or melted butter and warm them over indirect heat for about 10 minutes, then move them to the direct-heat side, lid open, and grill them until golden.
- Serve. Sprinkle the polenta rectangles with salt and pepper at the table and dress them with a pat of butter.
Notes
Optional. Add 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs. Thyme is especially good.
About the cheese. Please use real Parm from Italy. You can substitute another hard grating cheese such as pecorino or grana padano, but not American parm.