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Anybody familiar with polenta, have a good recipe?
I had some Christmas Eve at a local restaurant and
was smitten. Heard about it for years and it just
didn't seem like something I'd enjoy but this was
wonderful. Very light, creamy and flavorful.

Micheline:

You didn't mention whether the Polenta you enjoyed was in a liguid, or solid state. No matter. There is a recipe for both on this site. Go to recipe archives, search Polenta, and you will come up with "Perfect Polenta - Without Stirring". It pretty much lays out the whole drill. I might recommend, that if you wish to add cheese; that you consider Fontina, not that Parmesean isn't instant Nirvana. As an aside, my father used to make Polenta, but he called it "corn meal mush". Polenta sounds a whole lot more epicurean; but they are the same thing. You can dress Polenta up in so many ways, like adding roasted, diced red bell pepper. Or substituting 3 cups heavy creme, and 4 cups veg broth instead of water. (but now you have to stir). Have fun.

I was raised in Pittsburgh and I think this style of polenta is an "Eastern" thing: My mother cooked the polenta (corn meal mush) and poured it into a bread pan. She let cool in the fridge overnight and the next morning, she sliced it in 1/4" - 1/2" slices and fried it until crisp on both sides in butter. Then it was served with butter and hot maple syrup. Delish!!!

Guy Fieri of the Food Network recently visited a restaurant in Pittsburgh and was served polenta. He refused to even try it with butter and syrup and insisted on marinara sauce...a "Western" thing, I think.

Thank you both. I didn't think to try Recipe Archives, but there it was! The one I had was quite loose, it had green
chile and cream in it. For some reason, I thought you had
to use a different type of cornmeal, different grind of some sort. Most recipes just say cornmeal, so I'll try that first.
Today, I'm starting the posole for New Year's...kitchen
smells great!

Perhaps you can find a store that carries the full line of Bob's Red Mill grain products, unless you want to order the heirloom corn meal or corn grits, these products have much better flavor than plain cornmeal. My local health food store carries all of this company's products.

Bob's does have a polenta but I like to buy the three grades of cornmeal, coarse, medium and fine, and mix them together. The varying size of the meal gives an interesting texture to the polenta (aka mush or grits), which I like as do the people for whom I cook.

I also prepare the stuff, allow it to cool a bit, then pour it into a loaf pan and chill it overnight and slice and fry it for breakfast or brunch, or it can be grilled.
This takes well to certain additions.
Crisp bacon crumbled into the mush prior to pouring it into the loaf pan is very nice.
Various cheeses, grated, can also be stirred into it after it has cooled slightly, also prior to placing it into the loaf pan.
People who like spicy foods will like some finely chopped chiles added. And the spicy heat goes well with sweet syrup.

A famous southern dish is shrimp and grits - (aka polenta) and I have friends who like this both freshly cooked and also molded, sliced and grilled.
Whatever you call it, polenta, grits, mush, etc., it is easy and versatile.

Micheline,

It sounds like you were served a classic creamy polenta. I would start with a classic "stir" recipe (rather than baked). I like the combo of whole milk and stock in savory polenta recipes better than either all stock or all dairy.

By chance, does the restaurant where you ate this polenta have their menu online? I'd like to see the description of their polenta. That would give some clues onto how to prepare a close version at home.

Once you have a basic creamy polenta recipe, you can add your green chilis, etc. Did this dish have cheese? Probably so, since that would pair nicely with the green chilis.

Andiesenji, I love your idea of using the different textures of polenta -- and you can't go wrong with Bob's Red Mill, huh??!!! Most of the time I cool mine in the pan, then slice and fry. However, the best polenta I ever ate in my life was in a restaurant in West L.A. and it was served as a side to veal shanks. Like Micheline, I was smitten

There's something about creamy polenta right from the pot... on a cold night.... So, call it corn meal mush, but it's still good savory eats!

Marlene