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Creamy Slow Cooker Polenta

Source of Recipe

Melissa d'Arabian “10 Dollar Dinners” Food Network


Recipe Introduction

This recipe was a revelation to me. I had no idea that you could cook polenta in a slow cooker and now I doubt I’ll ever do it any other way. Creamy, rich and very lush – it’s the perfect bed for any braised meat. I served it with Braised Country-Style Pork Ribs. NOTE: 1/3 cup polenta is correct - it looked like MUCH too little to me, but it was perfect.

List of Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray
1 cup milk
1 1/3 cups half-and-half, divided
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/3 cup coarse polenta, or corn grits
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan




Recipe

Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray and heat on high.

Mix milk, 1 c. of the half-and-half, 1 T. of the butter and polenta in a medium saucepan. Season with a little salt and pepper and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Pour into the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 2 hours [SEE NOTE BELOW]. Stir a couple of times per hour.

When you are ready to serve the polenta, whisk in the remaining 1 T. butter, 1/3 c. half-and-half and the Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste, but keep in mind what you are serving over it and how much salt is in that.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

NOTE: Timing will depend on your slow cooker. I have a couple of different ones and they seem to cook at different temperatures. The first time that I made this, cooking the entire time on ‘HIGH’ worked fine. Other times, I’ve had to lower the temperature halfway through to ‘LOW’. Use your own judgement – taste the polenta at one hour. If it is starting to get the texture you want, but still pretty firm and it is drying on the sides, turn it down to low for a bit and test again a little later. The next time I do it, I think I’ll start it early enough to try it on ‘LOW’ for 3-4 hours.