Oven-Roasted Polenta

Serves three to four as a side dish.

To learn more, read:
Making Creamy Polenta With No Stirring
by Paula Wolfert
from Fine Cooking
Issue 31
Last Edit Date: 7/19/2011 9:53:43 AM

Thanks to Ed Fleming, owner of The Polenta Company, for permission to adapt the recipe printed on bags of Golden Pheasant brand polenta. Use only water and no milk if you’re making polenta to use a few days from now—it will keep better this way. If you’re doubling the recipe, double the cooking time.

more about:

1 cup medium-coarse or coarse cornmeal, preferably organic stone-ground
3 to 6 cups water (or half water, half milk), depending on the desired consistency
1 Tbs. butter or olive oil
1 tsp. salt; more to taste

Tip:

For soft polenta use 5 or 6 cups liquid; for firm polenta that can be cut out into shapes or sliced, use 3 to 3-1/2 cups liquid.

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 3-qt. nonstick ovenproof skillet; pour in the cornmeal, water, milk (if using), butter, and salt and stir with a fork until blended. The mixture will separate and take more than half the cooking time to come together. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Stir the polenta, taste, add salt if needed, and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the polenta rest in the pan for 5 minutes before pouring it into a buttered bowl to scoop out and serve or onto a wooden board or pizza peel to slice into wedges.

Photo: Daniel Proctor

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by Jim_Silver, 12/22/2012I have been using this recipe since its first appearance in the print issue. It never fails. The accompanying recipes in that issue are also great.

by ellen in charlotte, 7/9/2009First time making polenta - this was a snap. I may have used a bit too much liquid; it took a bit longer to cook than the recipe stated. I used mostly water with about 1/3 milk. I added some grated parmesan (nothing fancy, just Sargento) at the end. Also needed more salt, but that might just be me. Next time I'll add better quality cheese and will try some flavor variations. Served this with the Orange Braised Chicken with Crisp Prosciutto (on this site and FC Comfort Food). Perfect foil for the sauce and lovely with crisp salty prosciutto.

by CynthiaGillis, 3/24/2008Since trying this technique a few years ago, I have never made polenta any other way. I have a copper stove-top polenta stirring pot that I brought home from Italy, and had converted to 110 Watts,to make polenta less time consuming. Now it is just gathering dust. This is amazingly simple.

by BethD, 2/29/2008My beloved husband, who is not a huge fan of polenta, absolutely LOVED this version. I made a soft polenta, using half water and half whole milk. The polenta took a bit longer to cook than the recipe indicated, but it was so simple and came out deliciously creamy. An added bonus is that we had leftovers that made a delicious dessert the next day: we each drizzled our sweetener of choice (he tried maple syrup, I tried honey) over the chilled polenta and mixed the sweetener in. Simple, comforting and delicious. The honey version was the one we preferred, but any sweetener, brown sugar, jam, etc. would be equally good. Highly recommended and will definitely make this again.

by liberty91362, 11/3/2007Ever since I read this recipe in Fine cooking, it's the only way I will ever cook polenta. It's ridiculously easy. Just put it in a baking dish, stir it once during baking, and it comes out perfect and insanely delicious. No stirring and constant watching. The oven does all the work. The idea that perfect polenta can only be achieved through constant stirring and watching is a myth. This is easier than mashed potatoes or even boiling rice. It seems to be foolproof.