Yummy Polenta!
Lucky for my friends and me, I attend college only an hour away from home. So once a month we plan a delightful weekend getaway to enjoy one of my mom's spectacular dinners (a far cry from our usual Dewick cafeteria fare). Everyone agrees my mom is a marvelous chef--some of her best recipes include a spicy, tomato-based seafood stew with shrimp, swordfish, haddock, scallops, and clams; breaded parmesan tofu over whole-wheat pasta; low-fat spinach pie; minty split pea soup; Indian Dhal soup and vegetable barley stew.
One ingredient she’s recently started using more frequently is polenta, described in this NYT article as a "delicious gruel" and an excellent source of iron, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamin B6. I first tried polenta in its grilled form as a scrumptious side dish with mom's famous spicy black beans and avocado. Polenta has long been staple of northern Italy where it is sometimes topped with meat and served with tomato sauce. Here is a recipe for "polenta pizza," where polenta replaces dough and is topped with spinach, tomato and Gorgonzola cheese. This might be an ideal recipe for someone looking to add some iron to their diet, as both spinach and polenta are relatively rich in iron content (although nowhere near as rich as red meat or clams).
Does anyone have any thoughts on the nutritional value of polenta or any yummy recipes to share with us? (I'm working on my mom to divulge her grilled polenta and polenta "gritz and greens" recipes!)
One ingredient she’s recently started using more frequently is polenta, described in this NYT article as a "delicious gruel" and an excellent source of iron, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamin B6. I first tried polenta in its grilled form as a scrumptious side dish with mom's famous spicy black beans and avocado. Polenta has long been staple of northern Italy where it is sometimes topped with meat and served with tomato sauce. Here is a recipe for "polenta pizza," where polenta replaces dough and is topped with spinach, tomato and Gorgonzola cheese. This might be an ideal recipe for someone looking to add some iron to their diet, as both spinach and polenta are relatively rich in iron content (although nowhere near as rich as red meat or clams).
Does anyone have any thoughts on the nutritional value of polenta or any yummy recipes to share with us? (I'm working on my mom to divulge her grilled polenta and polenta "gritz and greens" recipes!)
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Janeen on -
Ah, polenta. I love it. It's so easy to make and although can be bland by itself, it easily takes on the flavor of anything it's paired with or makes a nice accompaniment to a spicy or highly seasoned dish.
Some of our favs are:
Hunters Stew with polenta adapted from Eating Well magazine
Polenta with creamy tomato sauce
Cheesy Polenta from All Recipes - not the healthiest, but in moderation a definite treat and comfort food.
Somewhere I have a french toast recipe using polenta, but that grilled polenta sounds delish!
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Permalink Reply by HaleyMae on -
Thanks for those recipes, Janeen! They look great! I also happened to stumble across this recipe for grilled polenta today! It isn't my mom's but it looks pretty yummy (although it isn't as healthy or flavorful as hers is because she uses more spices and no butter--so I'll have to post hers as well!).
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