Parmesan Polenta

I love sides. I LOVE them. Who even needs a main course? I could eat sides all day long... polenta, risotto, orzo, buttermilk mashed potatoes (those are my favorites!)... in fact when Sam's gone for supper usually I do just eat a side! I will be posting all of the above in the coming days/weeks...a series of sorts... whenever I am home and have groceries/time to whip them up!!



But today - basic parmesan polenta. This is a great dish for a meat main course, or even better as a base for stew, or a hearty sauce. Recipe courtesy Giada de Laurentiis in her Everyday Italian cookbook with small tweaks from me. This is SO simple, so quick, and couldn't be cheaper!

Ingredients
6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Directions
In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the water to a boil.

Add the salt, then gradually whisk in the cornmeal.

Reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and parmesan.