Polenta With Fontina And Thyme Recipes

POLENTA WITH FONTINA AND THYME

Steps:

• Bring broth, thyme and garlic to boil in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to medium; cook until polenta is thick and creamy, whisking frequently, about 20 minutes. Add cheeses. Stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.
• *Available at Italian markets and some supermarkets. If unavailable, substitute 1 cup regular yellow cornmeal, and cook mixture about 12 minutes.

POLENTA GRATIN WITH TOMATO, FONTINA, AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Make the polenta. During the last few minutes of cooking, stir in half the Fontina and the butter, then spread it, about 3/8 inch thick, on a clean counter or sheet pan to harden. Slice into rectangles or rounds--the exact size doesn't matter. This can be done hours in advance.
• Heat the tomato sauce with half of the rosemary. Taste and season with salt, if needed, and a little pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce in a 3-quart gratin dish, then overlap the pieces of polenta with the remaining Fontina. Spoon the remaining sauce carefully in bands over the polenta, leaving the edges exposed. Crumble the Gorgonzola over the top and sprinkle with the rest of the rosemary and the parsley.
• Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until the gratin is hot and bubbly. Garnish with the parsley, season with a little pepper, and serve.

SOFT FONTINA POLENTA

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, combine the stock and cream, and bring to a boil. Add the nutmeg and salt. Whisk in the polenta and semolina and cook over low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until the grains are soft. Fold in the cheeses. Serve immediately or reserve.
• To encourage polenta to come cleanly out of the pan, cook over medium heat. Run a spatula or wooden spoon around the sides of the pan to clean off the polenta. Do not stir, but wait and watch for a few seconds until a large bubble begins to form and pushes the polenta upward. Pour immediately into a warm dish.
• The polenta can be made ahead and reheated: add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water or stock, cover the dish, and reheat in the microwave or over low heat. Whisk well before serving.
• For tabletop polenta: Set up 1 or 2 clean, untreated butcher blocks or cutting boards or lay down parchment or butcher paper over a tabletop. Pour the warm polenta out onto the table in front of guests. Pass bowls of sauces and mix-ins. Each guest mixes in their toppings and eats right off the table!

POLENTA WITH MUSHROOMS AND FONTINA

Steps:

• In a large sauté pan or frying pan over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup of the butter. When bubbly, add the mushrooms, raise the heat to medium high, and sauté, tossing often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Do not let brown. Season with salt and a little nutmeg and remove from the heat. Cover to keep warm.
• Position a rack in the center of an oven and preheat to 425 degrees F . Butter a 2 1/2-qt. baking dish.
• In a deep, heavy saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a rapid boil. Add 2 tsp salt and, while stirring continuously with a long-handled spoon, gradually add the polenta in a thin, steady stream until all has been incorporated. Continuing to stir constantly to keep lumps from forming, reduce the heat until the mixture only bubbles occasionally. Continue to cook, stirring, until smooth and creamy, about 20 minutes; be careful to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to avoid sticking or lumping. Remove from the heat. Cut the remaining 1/4 cup butter into small cubes and add to the polenta, a few cubes at a time, stirring until melted after each addition. The polenta should be soft and spreadable.
• Spread one-third of the polenta over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spread half of the mushrooms in a layer on top, and then cover with a layer of half of the cheese slices. Repeat with half of the remaining polenta, than all of the remaining mushrooms and cheese. Top with the remaining polenta.
• Place in the oven and bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
• Cut into squares and serve immediately.

BAKED POLENTA WITH FONTINA CHEESE

Steps:

• Butter 9x13-inch baking dish. Combine 2 1/4 cups water, broth, shallots and marjoram in heavy large Dutch oven; bring to boil. Mix 2 1/2 cups cold water and cornmeal in bowl. Gradually mix cornmeal mixture into broth mixture. Return to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently until polenta is very thick, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Immediately spread 2 cups polenta in prepared dish. Top with 1 3/4 cups cheese. Drizzle with 1/4 cup cream. Repeat layering, using 2 cups polenta, 1 3/4 cups cheese and 1/4 cup cream. Top with remaining polenta. Spread remaining cheese over. Cover with foil. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake covered polenta until hot in center, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Uncover; continue baking until polenta bubbles at edges and top begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH THYME

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine 7 cups water, 2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Whisking constantly, gradually add cornmeal. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer polenta, whisking frequently, until thickened and creamy, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Stir in butter and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with thyme, and serve. If polenta thickens upon standing, stir in a little hot water.

CHEESY POLENTA

Steps:

• In a pot, combine milk, broth, salt and cornmeal. Place over medium-high heat and whisk constantly until liquid is boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 20 minutes until creamy, stirring every 3-4 minutes to prevent sticking and burning.
• Remove from heat. Stir in pepper, butter, cheeses and optional herbs.

BAKED POLENTA WITH FRESH TOMATOES AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
• Place the water, milk, and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the polenta and stir with a wooden spoon until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup Parmesan cheese and 2 chopped basil leaves; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the polenta to the prepared baking dish and arrange the remaining chilled pieces of butter over the top.
• Bake the polenta in the preheated oven until bubbly and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven.
• Decoratively arrange the slices of tomato over the top of the polenta, spread the remaining basil leaves over the tomatoes, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
• Return to the oven and bake until the tomatoes are warm and the Parmesan cheese is bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.

POLENTA WITH CORN AND THYME

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high. Add corn and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is warmed through, about 1 minute. Add milk and water and bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in cornmeal. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and creamy, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.