INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Use this recipe to make the basic polenta required for preparing the
"Polenta `Lasagne' with Beef, Tomato, and Red Wine Sauce", "Soft
Polenta with Porcini Mushroom Sauce", and "Polenta Crostini with Tuna
Butter and Capers."  Many of these dishes require that you cook the
polenta, cool it, and cut it into squares. However, the soft polenta
prepared to serve with Porcini Mushroom sauce has a looser texture.  If
you find that the polenta made from this master recipe is too  stiff
for the soft polenta and mushroom dish, stir in 1/4 c boiling  water to
"loosen" it. TO COOK: Bring 7 c water to boil in a large  saucepan. Add
1T salt. Stirring constantly with a long-handled wooden  spoon, add
cornmeal in a slow, constant steam o prevent lumps from  forming.
Simmer, stirring consntly until polenta is very thick and  creamy and
pulls awarom the sides of the pan, 25 to 30 min. Proceed  immediately a
ructed in the individual recipes. MICROWAVE VERSION:  (Just as good but
er) Put 1 T salt, the cornmeal, c water in a 4 qt  microwave-safe bowl.
Cover and chis mixture on high power, stirring  every 6 min until cr 24
min in all. Proceed immediately as your are  ucted in the individual
recipe of your choice. Makes 7 cups. Because  polenta contanly
cornmeal, salt, and water, the texture of the cornme  important. Unless
you have access to a specialty foop or want to use  mail order, the
exact texture of the cornme  you find taly is  unavailable in the US.
To find out how to best approximate Italian  po, using cornmeal that is
available here, COOK'S tried m it with  fine-ground, coarse-ground, and
an equal re of the two types (in all  cases, Goya brand meal wad).
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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