Grits’ Italian cousin, polenta

Many nights, supper ‘round here is a simple threesome of a grilled meat, a sautéed fresh veggie and a starch — particularly roast or mashed potatoes, baked sweet potato fries or buttered rice. But spuds and rice get old, and then I remember how much I love polenta and how inexpensive and incredibly easy it is. Widely available in the rice section, you can buy polenta in instant form or not, but it’s essentially nothing more than a particular grind of corn meal, so if you have that lying around you can use it, too.

In essence, all you’re doing is boiling the grain in something savory like salted water or better yet, stock. Bob’s Red Mill, often on the health foods aisle, makes a nice product and provides good cooking instructions. It doesn’t take long to thicken, and as it’s doing so, you toss in chopped fresh herbs, a tablespoon or two of butter and a cup or so of grated parmesan. Once thick, you can serve it like grits, or pour it into a well-greased Pyrex and let it sit until firm. Do this early on in your dinner prep, and by the time you finish the other courses, it will be perfect. It cuts nicely into little squares or triangles and is super with a simple sauce of fresh tomatoes, or a quick sauté of mushrooms in butter and olive oil, with the addition of chicken stock and a little flour. It can also be another route to the grits half of shrimp and grits.

Maggie Heyn Richardson’s food writing has appeared in EatingWell Magazine, Taste of the South Magazine and on the public radio program, On Point. She is a regular 225 contributor.