Polenta With Bay Leaves
Updated Nov. 13, 2023
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2bay leaves
- Coarse salt
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½cups coarse cornmeal
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
166 calories; 3 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 3 grams protein; 97 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Fill a small saucepan with 4 cups of water, and bring to a simmer at back of stove. Keep hot. In a medium saucepan, 3 to 4 quarts, combine 4 cups water, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a boil. Add olive oil.
- Step 2
Place cornmeal in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle a handful of cornmeal into the seasoned boiling water, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Continue until all the cornmeal is added to the pot; it will take about 5 minutes.
- Step 3
Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir until polenta becomes too thick to stir easily, which will be about 4 minutes. Add about 1 cup of the hot water from the small saucepan, and continue stirring. When cornmeal thickens, add more hot water. Repeat until the cornmeal is tender, about 20 minutes. Continue to stir until polenta is thick and shiny, 5 to 10 minutes more. Serve hot, using a large spoon dipped in water before each scoop.
Private Notes
Comments
Made polenta this way after consulting a bunch of Italian cookbooks and discovered this recipe while cooking it. Started by dumping all cornmeal into cold water and heating slowly, then added more water as needed while stirring which worked well! Bay leaf & olive oil are missing from most NYT cooking recipes & add a nice flavor; for more fiber & protein also added ~1/3 c. buckwheat flour (frm Italian Country cookbk) which has a pleasant subtle soba-like flavor tho' turned the mix a muddy brown.