• andrew January 2011

  I've always been disappointed making polenta; every time I've tried it's been bland and mushy. After looking at the Zuni Cafe Cookbook's section, I decided to give it another go, and followed the recipe closely. Alas, it's still rather bland. Is it just a bland dish that needs lots of add-ons, or do those of you who've succeeded at it have any thoughts? One thing I'm wondering is the water/ cornmeal ratio. I followed the Zuni recipe of 5 cups water to one cup cornmeal. I used Bob's Red Mill polenta, which looks quite coarse, as the recipe suggests it should be. However on the package it suggests 3 cups water to one cup cornmeal. It only suggests a half hour cooking though, so I thought maybe the longer Zuni method would balance out. Any wisdom?
  
  I've spread it on a sheet pan to cool and I'm going to try roasting it tomorrow, or doing the polenta hash. Hope springs eternal...
• aj12754 January 2011

  I never make polenta because my husband can't stand it. So I didn't bother looking at the Zuni polenta recipes at all -- BUT -- 5 cups of water to one of corn meal seemed like an awful lot to me. So I checked on Anne Burrell's polenta recipe since she is one of those TV chef's I have learned a lot from -- and her recipe also calls for a 3/1 ratio of water to corn meal. On the other hand -- Mario Batali's recipe is a 5/1 ratio and Marcella Hazan's "no stirring" polenta is a 4/1 version. And Lidia Bastianich has a 4/1.5 ratio.
  
  I think this is a good question and worth some additional research tomorrow -- I want to take a closer look at those recipes and see what might account for the different ratios.
• southerncooker January 2011

  Andrew, I really think that the Zuni recipe calls for to much water. It's more than I've ever used but like you I thought maybe it was the cooking method since I'd never cooked polenta that way.
  
  In my opinion Polenta is a bland dish and I think the add ins are what makes it. I did always love mush (what some of us southerners call polenta) though and often ate it well salted with milk poured over.
  
  My husband says Polenta is just a finer ground grit.
• Queezle Sister January 2011

  I used the 5:1 ratio suggested in Zuni, and was also worried. But the recipe also had a very long cook time - about an hour on the stovetop. I didn't put a lid on the pot, and while it started very, very thin, it did thicken up over time. I also live in a dry climate, and I wonder if that helped it to lose the extra moisture. The zuni recipe also has you cook it longer in a moist environment, and I felt that mine continued to thicked through that, too.
  
  Yes, polenta is bland. But as a lover of oatmeal, cream of wheat, the soft polenta felt very comforting to me.
• andrew January 2011

  Thanks everyone! I let it firm up on a sheet pan as the recipe states and it did get nice and firm. I've cut it and put it in the fridge, and will look at some of the firm polenta recipes to see what I can do with it now... So obviously it seems that the ratio is fine if you're going to give it a long cook.
• bunyip March 2011

  Personally, I use instant polenta! Takes about 5 minutes to cook, and hang the purists.
  
  Usually I make it with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of milk to 1/2 cup polenta. It is indeed bland, but once it's cooked you add plenty of salt, butter and parmesan. You can add herbs if you like. I generally use it as a substitute for mashed potato rather than setting it in a pan.
• SelahWrites June 2011

  I usually pack it in a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap to cool, then slice and fry it up, then sauce with Puttanesca sauce, ergo using it as a substitute for pasta.
• lovesgenoise July 2011

  A good broth or stock and plenty of salt work wonders for polenta. So does topping it with flavorful tomato sauce and hearty sausage.

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