Parmesan Polenta

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 25

Servings: people

Do not let this Parmesan polenta fool you. This version with parmesan and mascarpone can stand on its own or be the best side dish to all your meat dishes.

Ingredients

2 cups chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
2 cups half and half
2 cups dry cornmeal polenta
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup mascarpone
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
salt , to taste
pepper, to taste

US - Metric

Instructions

Bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan. Keep warm over a medium flame.
In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and half-and-half to a foamy simmer. Reduce the flame to medium and add the polenta to the foaming milk mixture, stirring constantly.
When the mixture becomes thick, begin adding the hot stock, ½ cup at a time. Let the stock absorb completely before adding the next ½ cup, stirring all the while.
Once all the stock has been added, reduce the heat and add the butter, mascarpone, and Parmesan cheese, stirring well to blend. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit of milk or stock, then season with salt and pepper.
Spoon into a serving dish and serve immediately

Equipment

Notes

After adding your polenta to the milk mixture, stir slowly so it doesn't splatter and burn you.
Polenta tends to clump together; be sure to stir it constantly. Add small amounts at the time if you want, but just always stir it to reduce the lumps from forming.
Choose the right pan for polenta: a 3-to 4-quart Dutch oven. Deep enough to prevent splatters, compact enough for even heat distribution, and easy to stir.
If the consistency is too thick, add extra broth.
Season last as the Parmesan is salty by nature, and you do not want to oversalt your polenta.

Nutrition

Giangi's Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.