Italian · Side · All year
Creamy Parmesan Polenta
4.6 · community
5m
Prep
35m
Cook
Easy
Level
320
Energy
The soft landing under every braise: slow-whisked polenta finished with butter, parmesan, and marjoram's gentle oregano-adjacent perfume.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
4
Before you start
Mise en place
Equipment
Sheet pan
Chef's knife
Prep checklist
Polenta — coarse, not instant
Chicken Stock — + water as needed
Marjoram — chopped
3 steps
Method
1
Rain the polenta into simmering stock, whisking; drop to the laziest bubble and stir every few minutes for 30–35, loosening with water whenever it tightens.
33 min — timer available in cooking mode
Why this works
Coarse polenta needs the full half hour to lose its grit and find its cream — instant polenta is a different, sadder food.
2
Off heat: butter, parmesan, marjoram, white pepper. It should pour lazily and settle flat — "alla lava."
3
Serve under braises, ragùs, or mushrooms; leftovers set sliceable for tomorrow's crispy polenta cakes.
From the pass
Chef's notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Freezing
Depends on the vegetable — roasted things reheat better than they freeze.
Reheating
Roasted vegetables re-crisp in a 200°C oven for 6–8 minutes; mashes loosen with a splash of warm milk over low heat.
Make ahead
Blanch or par-roast ahead, then finish with high heat just before serving.
Wine pairing
Follows the main.
Beer pairing
Follows the main.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
This is the side — pick a main.
Garnish
Fresh herbs
A knob of butter
Toasted nuts or seeds
Taste map
Flavour profile
Sweet
2
Salty
3
Sour
1
Bitter
1
Umami
2
Heat
0
Per serving
Nutrition
320
kcal
10g
protein
38g
carbs
15g
fat
3g
fiber
520mg
sodium
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Your notes
Understand it
Lessons behind this dish
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