Oven-Baked Polenta
Polenta without stirring and without splattering? Well-cooked and flavorful? That's what you get when you make it in the oven. This method has many advantages. The only downside is it takes longer than stovetop polenta. Plus, I've added my little secret for a super, super creamy polenta. The photo above shows the creamy version with sheep's feta, made from stone-ground cornmeal. I love it so much this way that I often eat it plain, as if it were a fine cream.
I hope you try this method and come back with feedback. Even though the method is modern, the ingredients are traditional Romanian and the result is wonderful. I've been making it this way for a few months now and it has been appreciated every time I've served it.
Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal (store-bought/grits or stone-ground)
3 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
70 g creamy sheep's milk feta (or creamy goat cheese; optional)
Servings: 4
How to prepare oven-baked polenta
- In a pot that preferably can also go in the oven, add the cornmeal, salt, and water. If desired, add the butter as well. Stir to dissolve the cornmeal in the water. Place on the stove and bring to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent lumps. When the cornmeal has absorbed the water and you see the first bubbles around the edges and it starts to splatter lightly, remove the pot from heat. This step takes about 5 minutes.
- Cover the pot with a lid or aluminum foil. If the pot is not oven-safe, transfer the polenta to an oven-safe dish and cover it.
- Place the dish in the oven at 160°C for 45 minutes.
- After this time, the polenta should be done, well-cooked. Remove the pot from the oven and stir the polenta vigorously several times. With this cornmeal-to-water ratio, the polenta has a medium consistency, not too firm but not so soft that it flows. I've tried this recipe with both store-bought cornmeal and stone-ground cornmeal and it turned out well with both, with minor differences in softness. With stone-ground cornmeal, it came out slightly softer. If you want it firmer, just reduce the amount of water.
- If you want a soft and super creamy polenta, add the crumbled sheep's feta and stir vigorously until it dissolves into the polenta. The polenta will lighten in color, becoming a paler yellow.
- Serve the polenta immediately while it's still warm.
The polenta goes into the oven
The polenta comes out of the oven
The polenta stirred
Add the crumbled feta cheese
Oven-Baked Polenta
