I'd give this 20 stars if I could! My parents are from Italy and polenta was a staple when we were growing up. Adding chicken broth instead of the traditional water gives it a WONDERFUL flavor. I've also made it using cream instead of milk (yum!), and I've just sprinkled a little cheese on top instead of mixing a whole cup of it in. It's also good with sauteed mushrooms on top. A very good basic recipe - thanks Jaquita!!!

This is an excellent basic polenta recipe. Polenta has a history aa a staple in the Northern Italian diet - especially in the Asiago area - the home of my maternal grandparents. The terms "polentone" - meaning "full of polenta" and "mangiapolenta" meaning "eat polenta" are used by Southern Italians in reference to those of Northern Italy. The following recipe modifications will bring polenta to an even more elevated level: Bring 4 cups of milk with 0.5 cup of whipping cream to a boil without scalding. Reduce the mixture to a simmer. Slowly add 1 cup of Quaker cornmeal. With a wooden spoon, stir the mixture.In the old days, the stirring was alloted to the man of the house - the thickening cornmeal can become quite resistant to stirring. Lumps will have a tendency to form. I have found that an electric hand blender will obviate these problems and will result in a smooth, lumpless (homogeneous), creamy polenta. I continue the process for 30 to 45 minutes. I then add 4 TBS of butter to the hot polenta and continue with the blender for another 5 minutes. I then add 0.5 cup of grated pecorino romano cheese. I continue with the blender for another 5 minutes. The finished polenta is then poured onto a large buttered platter. After the polenta has hardened, it is cut - like a pie - into sections and served with a variety of toppings. Left-over polenta can be served for breakfast: powder the slices with flour, fry in butter, and serve with maple syrup.

Great recipe, and EASY! I used homemade chicken stock, and fresh parmesan cheese, and the flavour was outstanding. To modify for regular polenta, omit the tomato sauce and chill after baking to set.

Fantastic! Ibaked it in tartlet molds and popped them out of the molds after baking so it had nice fluted edges.

Wow! This was very good and very easy to make. My entire family loved it. I used skim milk and low-sodium chicken broth. I poured some of the hot polenta onto a plate to eat right away and baked the rest. It was great the next day too, heated in the microwave. Thanks for sharing!

I just tried this and had to log in to tell you how much I enjoyed it! I've tried several polenta recipes and none were just right. This is perfect, and so easy!

GREAT polenta! I used the sauce recipe from "Swordfish a la Siciliana" from this site to put over panfried sturgeon as well as the polenta. It's always an interesting evening meal when DH visits our favorite fishmonger! I skipped the baking step of this recipe and just served the polenta soft. This is a very easy recipe in that it thickens up nicely and has great flavor without an hour's worth of stirring! mmmmm.... comfort food! Thanks for a great recipe!

Added 1 C. shredded cheddar cheese instead of Parm. Will use less tomato sauce next time. Can't wait for leftovers tomorrow night. Hope it will be less runny.

Loved this! Used heavy cream instead of milk and jazzed up the spaghetti sauce with some fresh garlic and chopped fresh basil.

Good recipe, easy to follow. I added minced garlic during the boiling stage. Used real grated parm. I baked in a loaf pan without the sauce and served with a baked chicken breast that had tomato sauce which we used over the polenta at serving time. Will try again, might try grilling or frying the slices next time. This had more of a bread texture, but it was good!