Buckwheat And Cornmeal Polenta Recipes

Steps:

• Finely chop onion.
• In a pot with tightly fitting lid melt butter and saute chopped onion until translucent.
• Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil.
• Stir in 1 cup buckwheat grits or groats.
• Reduce heat to very low, close the lid of the pot and let simmer for about 30 minutes until buckwheat reaches polenta consistency. I found that sometimes (maybe depending on whether you use grits or groats or coarsely ground buckwheat) it already thickens after about 10 minutes, so have a look at it after 10 minutes.
• Stir in ground parmesan cheese.
• Serve hot.

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan; pour polenta slowly into boiling water, whisking constantly until all polenta is stirred in and there are no lumps.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until polenta starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Polenta mixture should still be slightly loose. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 to 6 minutes. When polenta is too thick to whisk, stir with a wooden spoon. Polenta is done when texture is creamy and the individual grains are tender.
• Turn off heat and gently stir 2 tablespoons butter into polenta until butter partially melts; mix 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into polenta until cheese has melted. Cover and let stand 5 minutes to thicken; stir and taste for salt before transferring to a serving bowl. Top polenta with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and about 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish.

Steps:

• For firm polenta use 4 cups water; for soft polenta use 5 cups water. Bring water to a boil in a medium-size heavy sauce pan over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Pour cornmeal slowly into water, stirring with a wire whisk or wooden spoon. Continue stirring as mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn heat to low. Cook for at least 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. If polenta becomes quite thick, thin it with 1/2 cup water, stir well and continue cooking. Add up to 1 cup more water as necessary, to keep polenta soft enough to stir. Put a spoonful on a plate, let it cool, then taste. Grains should be swollen and taste cooked, not raw. Adjust salt and add pepper if you wish.
• For firm polenta, lightly butter a baking sheet or shallow dish, approximately 8 1/2 by 11 inches. Carefully pour polenta into pan. Using a spatula, spread polenta to a thickness of 3/4 inch. Cool to room temperature to allow polenta to solidify. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For soft polenta, add 6 tablespoons butter to pot and stir well. Serve immediately or transfer to a double boiler set over low heat, cover and keep warm for up to an hour or so. (Or set the saucepan in a pot of barely simmering water.) Stir well before spooning into low soup bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan, if desired.

Steps:

• 1 In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, bring 4 cups of the water and 2 tablespoons of the butter to a boil. 2 In a medium bowl, stir together the cornmeal, buckwheat flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1 cup water. 3 Whisk the cornmeal mixture into the boiling water. Reduce the heat to very low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes or until the polenta is thick and creamy. If it gets too thick, add a little more water as needed. 4 Remove the polenta from the heat. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the cheese. Serve immediately. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.