Quick Creamy Polenta with Mascarpone

By Foodiewife

Polenta is similar to grits-- I refer to it as "Italian Mashed Potatoes". It's a creamy "foundation" for some of my favorite dishes-- Braised short-ribs, any kind of ragu or a dish with a cream sauce. I don't buy a special polenta. I use corn meal, since it's always in my pantry. With this version, I was feeling decadent and added Mascarpone (an Italian cream cheese) to give this added richness. You can leave that out, if you want to. (Please click on the source link to see my food blog.)

Ingredients

• POLENTA:
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup mascarpone (you can substitute cream cheese, or leave it out completely)
• Chicken stock (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Polenta:

Bring the water and salt to a boil.

Add the milk.

Slowly whisk in the corn meal, which will begin to thicken very quickly. Reduce the heat.

Add the Parmesan cheese, butter, and mascarpone and whisk until melted and combined. Taste for seasoning.

To keep the Polenta warm (up to 20 minutes), cover with a lid.

To serve, if the Polenta is too thick, you can smooth it out by adding a little low-salt chicken stock, milk or water.