It’s been a while since I’ve cooked polenta. I have a hesitation of trialing a new carb and am always on tenterhooks as to how much of it will actually get eaten, and how much will end in the pig bucket! (We haven’t had much luck with cous cous, though Israeli cous cous is more tolerated by the girls! And we aren’t a very big spud eating family, either… We do, however, love rice, pasta & noodles.)
So, I was pleasantly surprised about the very positive response we had to this creamy polenta cooked with our Anything Mix spice blend, served with a very healthy drizzle of olive oil and haloumi cooked with a very healthy drizzle of our Bee Sting and a crunchy salad. The second born had crunchy tofu. As with a lot of our meals, ugly pictures, but super yummy!
A couple of things to keep in mind when you go through any of our recipes here, we have gone from a family that ate anything and everything to: 1x DF person (second born) 1x GF (me) and a husband that can’t handle anything with any sort of preservatives or chemicals. SO, we eat like my grandmothers would have – clean & seasonal, but meals packed with flavour and texture. And if it takes too long to cook and has too many fancy steps, it just doesn’t get cooked!
CREAMY POLENTA
Fine Polenta 1 cup
Water 4 cups
Salt 1/2 tsp
Anything Mix Spice Blend 1 tbsp
Butter / DF Alternative 2 tbsp
– In a large-ish pot, start off with cold water and salt. Keep the heat on medium (resist the temptation to crank it up.)
– Add the polenta along with the Anything Mix spice blend and using a whisk, mix well so that there are no lumps.
– When the mix starts turning mushy and is fairly warm through, add the butter / alternative.
– Turn off the stove and remove pan from the heat.
– Whisk well so that the polenta is nice and creamy.
Spoon onto bowls / plates and drizzle liberally with some extra virgin olive oil. (This really is loved served in a bowl.)
If the polenta sits too long, it starts to solidify. You could try to “revive” it with some more boiling hot water through it and whisking again. Or pour into a baking dish lined with baking paper and let sit till nice and solid. Spray lightly with some oil and bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes before cutting into large wedges and either serving with veggies or frying into polenta chips.
We love this with crispy Haloumi or Tofu, served with a side of crunchy salad and pickled red onions.