Buckwheat Polenta Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake until crispy, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove to a cutting board.
• Add the butternut squash to the baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few cracks black pepper. Toss the squash until it is fully coated in the bacon fat and spices. Bake until the squash is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside. Leave the oven on.
• Meanwhile, spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the thyme, paprika and garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour in the chicken stock and 2 cups water. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any remaining browned bits. Bring to a boil and slowly add the polenta, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta is thickened and cooked, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then taste for seasoning. Whisk together the eggs and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan in a bowl or measuring cup. Whisk the egg mixture into the polenta, then pour the polenta into the prepared baking dish.
• Chop the bacon and mix it into the squash. Spoon the squash and bacon evenly over the polenta, then use a spatula or your hands to press it into the warm polenta. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Bake until set and brown on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then cut into squares and serve as finger food.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the polenta, water and salt in a 2-quart baking dish. Stir together, and place in the oven. Bake 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, and stir in the butter. Use a fork or a spatula to stir the polenta well, and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and stir again. Carefully taste a little bit of the polenta; if the grains are not completely soft, return to the oven for 10 minutes. Serve right away for soft polenta, or let sit five minutes for a stiffer polenta. Spoon onto a plate. Make a depression in the middle, and serve with the topping of your choice or plain, as a side dish. Alternatively, for grilling or use in another recipe, allow to chill and stiffen in the baking dish, or scrape into a lightly oiled or buttered bread pan and chill.
• Combine the polenta, salt and water in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart microwave-safe bowl, and stir together. Cover the bowl with a plate, and place in the microwave. Microwave on high for eight minutes. Remove from the microwave carefully, wearing oven mitts, as the bowl will be quite hot. Carefully remove the plate from the top, and allow the steam to escape. Stir in the butter, and mix well with a fork. Cover the bowl again with the plate and return to the microwave. Microwave on high for three minutes. Again, remove from the microwave carefully, wearing oven mitts. Carefully remove the plate from the top, and allow the steam to escape. Stir the polenta, and return to the microwave for three more minutes. Carefully remove from the microwave. Stir and serve, or pour into a lightly buttered bread pan and allow to cool, then slice and grill or sear in a lightly oiled pan.

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:

• 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.

Steps:

• Use a heavy skillet to toast the buckwheat groats, over medium heat, until they are lightly toasted (stir occasionally), about 12 minutes; remove from heat and set aside so they cool.
• Once they are completely cooled, grind them, using a coarse setting, for form grits (they'll have the consistency of corn meal).
• Simmer the potato in water until fork tender, about 25 minutes; remove the potato, but keep the water simmering in the pot.
• Peel and mash the potato with a fork, then return to the pot of simmering water.
• Add the ground buckwheat grits to the pot along with 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture becomes very thick, about 15 minutes (if it gets too thick, add a little water; also if it gets done before the sauce, remove from heat and cover).
• Meanwhile, saute the leeks, in the butter, in a large skillet, until softened; reduce heat and add a pinch of salt, then cover and cook until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Stir in the cream, sage, and a few grinds of pepper; gently simmer until the cream reduces and thickens to a sauce-like consistency, about 10 minutes.
• Stir the grated cheese into the polenta.
• Serve the polenta in a shallow bowl, spoon the sauce on top, and garnish with more grated cheese.