Anticiplate

I made this polenta tonight with roasted chicken breast and assorted vegetables. I did not feel that the actual meal was good enough to blog about, but this polenta was! I learned the basic recipe for this when I went to a cooking class with my sister in law, Annalise, at Bon Vivant Cooking School. The recipe is originally from Saveur which is a food magazine. 

Serves 4

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

3 1/2 c. cold water

1/2 tbsp. course salt

1 fresh bay leaf

1 c. course polenta (yellow cornmeal, look for the italian kind labeled Bramata)

1 tbsp. white truffle oil (i found this at whole foods)

Salt and Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Put cold water, salt, and bay leaf in a medium, heavy bottomed pot. Stir in cornmeal. (Adding cornmeal to cold water helps prevent lumps. )

Bring water to a boil over medium high heat. Add truffle oil. Reduce heat to medium and cook polenta, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon, until thickened and pulling away from sides of the pot. It should be about 10-15 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove bay leaf.  

* You could add heavy cream, parmesan or asiago cheese, or just regular olive oil.  It is similar to mashed potatoes, where you can season them to your liking.  I like the truffle oil because it adds a unique flavor that compliments most italian or french dishes.