Polenta is a great side dish to substitute for potatoes or another starch. This recipe with parmesan cheese is great to accompany a steak and went beautifully with the Cabernet Sauvignon we had from L’Ecole No. 41 in Washington.
Chessy Polenta
Polenta is a pretty simple dish. I used Bob’s Red Mill Polenta, but I’m sure there are other brands out there. You want dry polenta, not the soft Italian premade polenta, for this dish.
Polenta is just water, salt, and polenta (or grits) cooked slowly. I used chicken stock for 1/2 of my liquid to give it a bit more flavor. The butter and parmesan get stirred in when it is done.
One thing to be careful of with polenta is that you can easily get burned. As the mixture thickens, it bubbles like slow-moving lava, and when the bubbles burst you can be burned by the steam or polenta bits that fly. To avoid this, cook it with a lid, use a big kitchen mitt and a long-handled spoon to stir it.
We served this as a side for our Steak with gorgonzola sauce for Valentine’s Day, but you could easily whip this up and top it with shrimp (shrimp and grits y’all) or scallops.
If you find you have some leftover, you can let it firm up in a dish and then slice it and pan fry it, serving it with sauteed vegetables.
With most dishes, this is great for your timing while cooking. The polenta needs to cook for about 20 minutes covered, with just periodic stirring, which is perfect! Start the polenta first and then you can cook the rest of your meal while it burbles away on a back burner.
Making Polenta
I like to cook mine in my Dutch Oven. The heat is evenly distributed, and it has a good sturdy lid, so I can start it on a front burner, then move it to a back burner for its cooking time.
Here’s what you will need:
- 1cup of water
- 1 cup of chicken stock
- 1/2 cup of milk
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup of Polenta (or grits)
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Bring the water, stock, and milk to a boil in a small Dutch oven.
- Stir in 3/4 teaspoons salt.
- Gradually sprinkle the polenta into the pan while whisking.
- Turn the heat to a very low simmer, cover & cook 25 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan,
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, cheese & additional salt if needed.
- Serve warm, sprinkled with additional cheese if desired.
We served this with steak with gorgonzola sauce and a salad of arugula and berries. To sip, we poured the L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
L’Ecole No. 41 2017 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
This wine comes from Washington’s largest AVA the Columbia Valley AVA. It covers a full 1/3 of the landmass of Washington. It is sourced from vineyards across this AVA that L’Ecole No. 41 has built a relationship with over the years.
You’ll find a blend of fruit from a few vineyards in here: Candy Mountain, Estate Seven Hills, Alder Ridge, Klipsun, Summit View, Bacchus & Dionysus, Pepper Bridge, Stone Tree, Loess, Yellow Jacket, Estate Ferguson & Stone Valley
100% Cabernet Sauvignon – 5,600 cases produced – $29.00 SRP
The parmesan in this dish makes it a perfect side to pair with a Cabernet Sauvignon.
L’Ecole No. 41 is located in Walla Walla Washington in an old schoolhouse. You can read more about them here and here.
*We received this wine as a media sample. No other compensation was received. All opinions are our own.
Cheesy Polenta
Polenta makes a great side dish in place of potatoes, rice, or pasta.
Polenta is simple but takes a little time. I love cooking it in my Dutch Oven. I can get other dishes going while it cooks, and the big heavy dutch oven lid keeps the splatter down.
You can also pour your finished polenta in a dish or pan and refrigerate it, then cut it when it is firm and pan fry it. I like to do this and serve it covered in sautéed vegetables.
Ingredients
- • 1 cup water
- • 1 cup of chicken stock
- • 1/2 cup milk
- • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- • 1/2 cup grits
- • 2 tablespoons butter
- • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
1. Bring the water, stock, and milk to a boil in a small Dutch oven.
2. Stir in 3/4 teaspoons salt.
3. Gradually sprinkle the polenta into the pan while whisking.
4. Turn the heat to a very low simmer, cover & cook 25 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, & begins to pull away from the sides of the pan,
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, cheese & additional salt if needed.
6. Serve warm, sprinkled with additional cheese.
Notes
Be careful! As polenta is cooking, it will bubble and blurp and can easily severely burn you. I try to use a long-handled wooden spoon and a big kitchen mitt when I'm stirring it, for safety.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 133Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 25mgSodium 527mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 5g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Valentines Day Menu Ideas
L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Truffles
These delicious wine truffles are completely decadent. We created two, one with chopped dried cranberry inside, dusted with ground pistachio, and one with a touch of espresso powder inside, then dusted with cocoa.
The wine we used was the L'Ecole No. 41 2017 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, which is also the perfect wine to pair with these truffles.
Thank you to L'Ecole No. 41 for the delicious sample that inspired these truffles.
Burgers with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese
Based on Bobby Flay's recipe for the Perfect Burger which keeps your burgers perfectly juicy! It's important to use at least 80/20 ground beef to keep the burgers juicy and the thumbprint? Well, a thumbprint in the middle is key to keeping the burgers cooking evenly.
We topped our burgers with sautéed shitake mushrooms, blue cheese, arugula, and bacon jam. (there is a recipe for that too!)
Steak with Gorgonzola sauce
These dishes cook simultaneously and you will end up with lots of leftover gorgonzola sauce. That's really okay. It's so good on almost anything. I drizzled it on pizza the other night.
This is an elegant dish, but not too tough to make! Get the polenta going first and set that on a back burner to cook while you make the steak and gorgonzola sauce.
We paired this with a Cabernet Sauvignon and it was heaven!
The recipe came from "The Anthony Kitchen"
Cheesy Polenta
Polenta is simple but takes a little time. I love cooking it in my Dutch Oven. I can get other dishes going while it cooks, and the big heavy dutch oven lid keeps the splatter down.
You can also pour your finished polenta in a dish or pan and refrigerate it, then cut it when it is firm and pan fry it. I like to do this and serve it covered in sautéed vegetables.
Bacon Jam
This bacon jam is based on a recipe from Mom's Dinner. We substituted dried cranberries for the raisins, which brings a bigger fruit note to the dish and paired great with the Cabernet Sauvignon we chose.
Bacon jam is life-changing. How did I ever live without this stuff! You can serve it with crackers or bread. The other night we topped a pizza with some. Quite honestly, had I been home alone, I would have made this and sat on the couch and eaten the whole bowl with a spoon.
Stuffed Vegan Portabella Mushrooms
This recipe has variations to be Vegan Vegetarian or Gluten-Free, depending on the breadcrumbs and cheese (or cheese substitute) that you use.
This is a dish that is great with Cabernet Sauvignon. Yes, red wine with a dish that isn't meat!
Grilled balsamic purple cabbage
This is a perfect side dish and it's vegan! The marinade gives this so much umami. With a stovetop grill pan this is a delicious grilled dish that you don't have to go outside for!
Chocolate tart with forest berries
This looks so fancy, but it's really easy. I found this recipe on Rachel Cooks. No-bake, 4 ingredients (+the berries and powdered sugar). So easy and delicious.
I suggest starting with a full pack of Oreos. For a 9 inch tart, use 32. Mine was actually an 8-inch tart pan, so I sadly destroyed too many Oreos. Somehow I ended up with just 3 left?
Oreos and melted butter for the crust, chocolate, and creme make a ganache for the filling and then berries to decorate just before serving. Pretty simple
Get artsy with your decoration. I used strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and mint, but you could use a variety of fruit. I think I might try adding just a little orange liqueur and candied oranges to decorate next time. There are so many variations you can take with this.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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