Polenta: I want to know your personal stories and recipes?

I one time made a polenta loaf for Thanksgiving dinner that I topped with melted cheese and mushrooms. It was delicious.

I naturally love polenta because I grew up eating grits.

I like grits, it reminds me of cream of wheat.

I don’t like polenta, it’s weird and thick and pasty. I like other things made with corn, like cornbread and tortillas, but I don’t like the texture of polenta. There are so many other things that I can eat, that might have the same other ingredients that are often served with polenta like cheese and marinara sauce, that I have no need to experiment any further with polenta. I also don’t do posole for similar reasons. With posole, it’s got big juicy pieces of hominy. It’s like biting into a big juicy bug.

Shuddering just thinking about it.

Polenta fries. Make the polenta very dry, then cut it into thick french fry type pieces and fry it up. You can grate some parmesian, or similar, and sprinkle on top.

We really like polenta fried, but I rarely make it into french fry pieces. I buy it in the package that looks similar to a small salami. Slice it into circles, be careful when you cut into the package, because some water will usually come out. Then I put a little margarine in the pan and fry it. Takes a while for it to brown, then flip it over and fry the other side. Flip again if necessary. You can top it with melted cheese, and if you want to take the time, brown the cheese under the broiler. They are perfect appetizer sized treats; athough, we just eat it plain as a side. You could get adventurous and add prosciutto and cheese, or asparagus and cheese, or whatever else comes to mind.

You need to make sure the polenta is salted appropriately for it to be good. The one I used to buy (I haven’t in a while) already was salty enough.

I’ve eaten grits, but only really liked them with cheese in them, @marinelife.

I didn’t get past “posole means hominy” when I searched the definition. Hominy disgusts me, @Kardamom. I’m thingking I may have to make some cheesy polenta and fry it, though.

Never heard of the fries, @JLeslie. Sound interesting. I’ve had fried corn meal mush, and I think it’s very similar to your polenta rounds. I’m thinking to try that using butter, of course.

There are many recipes for polenta fries. Here is one from scratch, but I’ve never tried it. If you google there are variations. http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/64240/polenta-fries/?page=0

Thanks for the recipe, @JLeslie. I couldn’t help but click on the green banana fries link, too. Very interesting.
Opposing my ‘Reduce frying’ question!

@alexascott This is the only cookbook you will ever use once you get it.

IMO Joy of Cooking is a must-have, @alexascott. If nothing else because it has specific instructions for things as simple as boiling eggs and baking potatoes to perfection. If you run into a term, method or ingredient you’re unfamiliar with, likely it’s in there. The recipes have been in publication (of course things are added and updated) for decades, so there’s little worry about a teaspoon inadvertently being abbreviated with a capital T (I’ve actually had that happen with a recipe and correctly guessed that it was a misprint before I made it.) Personally, I see no reason to own another cookbook, with the millions of recipes online.

On the other hand…
I’ve heard that the Baking Bible is awesome, and if I baked, I’d buy it.
Once upon a time I would read a cookbook like I read novels…straight through from start to finish. Local collections are good for this, because they usually contain a little humor (intended or not). Looking at my cookbook shelf briefly (yeah, I still have 2 shelves of cookbooks and just last week I bought a same-as-free copy of the three ingredient cookbook lol) I can say that The Heritage of Southern Cooking was a good read.

Now, an anecdote and I’ll shut up.
One day I was sitting at my kitchen table reading a cookbook. My great aunt (and good friend) rang as said she was desperate – my cousin had called asking for a recipe for broccoli raisin salad, could I help? Now, to me, broccoli raisin salad is about what you’d expect to find in a goat’s stomach at an autopsy. Instead of reporting that juicy little tidbit, I said “Hold on a second!”, thumbed about 2 pages back in the cookbook and there the recipe was.

“Bon appetit!”