The Gift of This Polenta Recipe Is That You Don't Have to Stir It
Polenta, I love you, but you’re bringing me down. My relationship with cooking the creamy cornmeal porridge has been nearly non-existent, mostly because I hate standing over the stove and stirring. It requires constant attention like a new puppy, and if I step away for one moment, it clumps, scorches—or both. But after trying our new method for hands-off, no-stir oven-cooked polenta, I’m ready to add it to my weekly fall cooking lineup.
The beauty is in the technique’s ideal ratio of minimal effort to maximum payoff, resulting in a bowl of cheesy, creamy, comforting goodness you barely have to work for. The polenta starts in a saucepan or Dutch oven on the stove, just to bring everything to a boil, then gets covered and slid into the oven alongside a pan full of mushrooms already roasting away. And here’s where the magic comes in: The oven does the work of evenly distributing the heat for you, meaning you don't need to put in a full-on arm day of stirring and sweating to temper the intense, single-direction flame of a burner. All it takes is a brisk whisk and a hefty handful of grated Parmesan cheese at the end to bring it to its optimal smooth, thick consistency. (Add a little extra butter or heavy cream if you want to gild the lily. Or up the Parm and fresh black pepper, to make it a Cacio e Pepe polenta!)
With sweet summer corn season now over, it's the perfect time to adopt a new style of corn to eat on repeat—especially when you consider how damn good and versatile it is as leftovers. It’s perfect for breakfast when I get sick of oatmeal or grits—I just whisk in a little milk or water during the reheat and top with a fried egg. And, I can repurpose it for the next night’s dinner: spread it out on a plate, chill it, cut it into squares, and pan-fry it into crispy goodness, topped with chicken pot pie filling or a hearty tomato sauce. The best part is that there are no more polenta-stirring marathons in sight. I guess this means I should find a new arm workout.
Get the recipe:
Oven Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms and Thyme
