Creamy Parmesan Polenta

My husband calls these (from How Easy Is That?) “fancy grits.”  They aren’t so different from the other polenta recipes in the previous Barefoot Contessa cookbooks, but they’re a nice reminder that we’re not limited to potatoes and rice if we want a starchy side dish with dinner (or lunch, or breakfast).  They tend to get slightly stiff when reheated, so you may want to make a small batch if you’re not feeding a crowd, or just anticipate adding some extra liquid when eating them as leftovers.

Now, I don’t specifically recall allowing a drunk monkey into my kitchen, but that’s the only explanation for the horrible quality of this photo.  But it’s polenta – it’s not like a fancy (or even focused) photo is going to make it any more exciting, you know?

Rosemary Polenta

This recipe, from Barefoot Contessa Family Style, is another version of Creamy Rosemary Polenta that can be made ahead of time.

Creamy Rosemary Polenta

Consider this a dressed-up version of grits.  Yum.  I made a half-batch, and it only took half of the recommended time to cook, so this was a very quick side dish.  Next time, though, if I make a half-batch, I’ll be sure to saute the garlic first.  The cornmeal cooked so quickly that the garlic was still pretty crunchy by the time it was served.  Still, this was excellent.

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