Polenta Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup course grind cornmeal (our co-op sells a bulk course grind labeled "polenta") or fine grind cornmeal
3 1/2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon yeast flakes (not brewers yeast powder), optional but recommended

Preparation

Step 1

Oil a 3 quart oven-proof skillet or dish. Put all ingredients in the dish and mix together casually.
Put the dish, uncovered, in a pre-heated 350˚ oven. Bake for 40 minutes, undisturbed. After 40 minutes, stir and bake 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for five minutes. Creamy, dreamy, heartwarming polenta. Mmm.
I always make this polenta in a 3 1/2 quart enameled cast iron casserole pan from Le Creuset. It's one of three pieces of this cookware that I own, and it gets used nearly every day. Because the pan isn't supposed to go directly from cold to hot, I put the polenta in the oven when I turn it on to pre-heat, and start the timer when the oven reaches the correct temperature