Polenta problem

I made a "feta herb loaf" from a cookbook with recipes of a British author. The recipe called for "polenta". So I made some polenta by boiling water and mixing in the cornmeal, and stirring until it was the consistency of a thick pudding. I added my polenta to the ingredients. It looked a little wet when I put it in the oven. It still looked wet when I took it out. It was not edible. Is "polenta" the same thing in the U.K. and in the U.S.?

polenta

Best Answer

Corn meal is sold as polenta in the UK. It is sold in fine and coarse grades, however I've found that even the course grade is not as coarse as typical US corn meal, so you'll want to buy a finer US grade as a replacement, but it is the same thing.

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Why is my polenta not thickening?

If this happens, return your pot of polenta to the stove over low heat and whisk in a little water, milk, cream or stock to loosen it up. Start with a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. It should be smooth as cake batter.

How do you fix lumpy polenta?

You could use a spoon, but whisking as it thickens will break up clumps and make polenta that is creamier throughout. (If using a spoon at the beginning, you'll have to whisk vigorously for a while to break up clumps. Polenta should look like loose scrambled eggs in the pan.

Is polenta a poor mans food?

Polenta, like so many historic foods, has humble origins as a food for the lower classes of society (especially peasants). Today, polenta has come a long way from being a mere cornflour mush \u2014 you can find it in the fanciest Mediterranean restaurants as well as households all around Europe.

Why is my polenta rubbery?

The natural starch in the cornmeal helps firm it up into a slightly rubbery sheet that can be cleanly cut into geometric shapes, most often into triangles the size of toast points.

POLENTA

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