Oven Baked Polenta

Have you tried polenta? This was a first for us and it most definitely will not be the last. I've had polenta on the list of foods I want to try for over a year now. I finally decided to make it along with the Twisted Chicken Piccata I posted yesterday. They went together perfectly.

Polenta is soft and creamy when it is first cooked, but it hardens into a firmer dish as it cools and you can slice it as well. It is traditionally an Italian dish, although polenta is made all over the world today.

Oven Baked Polenta
recipe from Martha Stewart

3/4 cup cornmeal, I used freshly ground corn, but store bought works as well
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
3 cups water
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram, or 1 teaspoon fresh

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a covered dish with a lid, whisk together the water, cornmeal, salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 30 minutes*, stirring halfway through.

Remove from the oven and add the milk, butter and marjoram. Whisk quickly until the polenta is smooth and creamy. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

*Side note: Apparently, a microwave will work in a pinch as well. My oven caught fire, the actual electric coil at the base of the oven broke off and starting sparking and smoking, in the middle of the baking process. I turned off the oven and when the sparks stopped, I simply placed the glass dish in the microwave and continued cooking it that way, stirring every couple of minutes until it was done. I'm waiting for delivery of a new stove now and looking forward to lots of holiday baking with a shiny new oven!

Click here for printable recipe