On Sun, 27 May 2012 22:04:31 -0400, George M. Middius
> wrote:

>
>
>Polenta is boring. Lousy texture, practically no flavor -- just toss
>it along with the Twinkies and Campbell's soup.
>

O.k., I'm willing to try it. It just isn't part of my mid-western
culture and I imagine that it will have a mouth feel similar to Cream
of Wheat. But I will try it. First though. . .will someone explain
the difference between polenta and corn meal? Can I just buy corn
meal or do I need to look for a different kind of ground corn?
Clueless from the mid-west
Janet US

On 5/28/2012 1:12 PM, Janet Bostwick wrote:
> On Sun, 27 May 2012 22:04:31 -0400, George M. Middius
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Polenta is boring. Lousy texture, practically no flavor -- just toss
>> it along with the Twinkies and Campbell's soup.
>>
>
> O.k., I'm willing to try it. It just isn't part of my mid-western
> culture and I imagine that it will have a mouth feel similar to Cream
> of Wheat. But I will try it. First though. . .will someone explain
> the difference between polenta and corn meal? Can I just buy corn
> meal or do I need to look for a different kind of ground corn?
> Clueless from the mid-west
> Janet US

Polenta is simply a dish made from cornmeal. Use whichever grind you
like. I like using the coarse ground meal which for some reason is
harder to find.

On Mon, 28 May 2012 13:20:00 -0400, George >
wrote:

> Polenta is simply a dish made from cornmeal. Use whichever grind you
> like. I like using the coarse ground meal which for some reason is
> harder to find.

Yes, it has been hard to find lately and I don't know why. I used to
buy it to put on my pizza peel. I fell out of the habit of buying it
when I found out that flour works just as well and doesn't burn as
easily. When I got into making polenta, I found the coarse grind had
all but disappeared.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Mon, 28 May 2012 11:12:37 -0600, Janet Bostwick
> wrote:
> >
>
> O.k., I'm willing to try it. It just isn't part of my mid-western
> culture and I imagine that it will have a mouth feel similar to Cream
> of Wheat. But I will try it. First though. . .will someone explain
> the difference between polenta and corn meal? Can I just buy corn
> meal or do I need to look for a different kind of ground corn?
> Clueless from the mid-west

Polenta is cornmeal... and it comes in different grinds, like cornmeal
does. I've been trying to figure out what the difference is between
polenta and grits, myself. I've eaten lots of polenta, haven't
touched a grit yet. Don't think I've even seen it.

If you're willing to give polenta a try, here's a motherload of
polenta recipes to sift through.
http://www.recipesource.com/fgv/polenta/indexall.html


--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 2012-05-28 18:27:36 +0000, sf said:

> On Mon, 28 May 2012 11:12:37 -0600, Janet Bostwick
> > wrote:
>>>
>>
>> O.k., I'm willing to try it. It just isn't part of my mid-western
>> culture and I imagine that it will have a mouth feel similar to Cream
>> of Wheat. But I will try it. First though. . .will someone explain
>> the difference between polenta and corn meal? Can I just buy corn
>> meal or do I need to look for a different kind of ground corn?
>> Clueless from the mid-west
>
> Polenta is cornmeal... and it comes in different grinds, like cornmeal
> does. I've been trying to figure out what the difference is between
> polenta and grits, myself. I've eaten lots of polenta, haven't
> touched a grit yet. Don't think I've even seen it.

In my (southern) experience, grits is made from hominy.

gtr wrote:

> In my (southern) experience, grits is made from hominy.

Love that lye!

On Mon, 28 May 2012 11:43:41 -0700, gtr > wrote:

> On 2012-05-28 18:27:36 +0000, sf said:
>
> > On Mon, 28 May 2012 11:12:37 -0600, Janet Bostwick
> > > wrote:
> >>>
> >>
> >> O.k., I'm willing to try it. It just isn't part of my mid-western
> >> culture and I imagine that it will have a mouth feel similar to Cream
> >> of Wheat. But I will try it. First though. . .will someone explain
> >> the difference between polenta and corn meal? Can I just buy corn
> >> meal or do I need to look for a different kind of ground corn?
> >> Clueless from the mid-west
> >
> > Polenta is cornmeal... and it comes in different grinds, like cornmeal
> > does. I've been trying to figure out what the difference is between
> > polenta and grits, myself. I've eaten lots of polenta, haven't
> > touched a grit yet. Don't think I've even seen it.
>
> In my (southern) experience, grits is made from hominy.

Aha, okay - thanks. There's a difference then.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 2012-05-28 20:32:44 +0000, l, not -l said:

> On 28-May-2012, gtr > wrote:
>
>> On 2012-05-28 18:27:36 +0000, sf said:
>>
>>> On Mon, 28 May 2012 11:12:37 -0600, Janet Bostwick
>>> > wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> O.k., I'm willing to try it. It just isn't part of my mid-western
>>>> culture and I imagine that it will have a mouth feel similar to Cream
>>>> of Wheat. But I will try it. First though. . .will someone explain
>>>> the difference between polenta and corn meal? Can I just buy corn
>>>> meal or do I need to look for a different kind of ground corn?
>>>> Clueless from the mid-west
>>>
>>> Polenta is cornmeal... and it comes in different grinds, like cornmeal
>>> does. I've been trying to figure out what the difference is between
>>> polenta and grits, myself. I've eaten lots of polenta, haven't
>>> touched a grit yet. Don't think I've even seen it.
>>
>> In my (southern) experience, grits is made from hominy.
>
> I grew up in western Kentucky, in our little part of of the south we ate
> corn grits, not hominy grits; hominy grits are nasty. In travellling around
> the south, I found it best to ask whether hominy or corn grits are what is
> being served. Seems there's no amount of butter and pepper that can hide
> the taste of hominy.

I like 'em.

On Mon, 28 May 2012 20:32:44 GMT, "l, not -l" > wrote:

> I grew up in western Kentucky, in our little part of of the south we ate
> corn grits, not hominy grits; hominy grits are nasty. In travellling around
> the south, I found it best to ask whether hominy or corn grits are what is
> being served. Seems there's no amount of butter and pepper that can hide
> the taste of hominy.

Now I'm back to wondering what the difference is between them. As far
as I can tell, (corn) grits aren't cooked as long as polenta and
that's so they're crunchy/"gritty" and that's the only difference...
but like I said before, I'm not intimately familiar with grits so it's
just a guess.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Tue, 29 May 2012 15:04:47 GMT, "l, not -l" > wrote:

>
> On 28-May-2012, sf > wrote:
>
> > Now I'm back to wondering what the difference is between them. As far
> > as I can tell, (corn) grits aren't cooked as long as polenta and
> > that's so they're crunchy/"gritty" and that's the only difference...
> > but like I said before, I'm not intimately familiar with grits so it's
> > just a guess.
>
> Watch the Alton Brown True Grits videos on YouTube and you'll learn the
> difference; I posted links yesterday.
>
> If you can't spare 13 minutes to watch the part 1 video,

More like "not interested". Not an Alton Brown fan to begin with and
hate watching videos that might not answer my question. BTDT

> here's my thoughts
> on the difference. Polenta is an Italian dish generally, but not
> exclusively, made with cornmeal. A variety of grit sizes can be used with
> different resulting textures; my preference is coarse-ground. Grits is an
> American dish, made with hominy or corn grits. Polenta can be made from
> the same ground corn as "corn grits"; preparation methods vary only slightly
> and added flavors, such as cheese, reflect the taste of the source cuisine.
> For example; cheesey grits might contain American or cheddar cheese, while
> polenta might contain parmesan.
>
> To find a good coarse ground corn "meal" visit a healthfood or specialty
> section of a large supermarket and buy Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits (Polenta).
> Here is a picture of what to look for:
> http://www.bobsredmill.com/corn-grits_polenta.html
>
> To find a store near you that sells Bob's Red Mill products, use the
> "finder" tool at:
> http://www.bobsredmill.com/dealer_locator.php

Thanks, I found an image of that particular Bob's Red Mill product
earlier this morning - but I've never seen it in person. I have a
package of BRM coarse cornmeal which is a little finer grind than
Golden Pheasant polenta. It seems like I can only find a truly coarse
ground polenta/cornmeal in the bulk bin at Rainbow, which is fine but
I don't get there very often. The health food store doesn't have the
grind I want either... just a different brand.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Mon, 28 May 2012 11:27:36 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Mon, 28 May 2012 11:12:37 -0600, Janet Bostwick
> wrote:
>> >
>>
>> O.k., I'm willing to try it. It just isn't part of my mid-western
>> culture and I imagine that it will have a mouth feel similar to Cream
>> of Wheat. But I will try it. First though. . .will someone explain
>> the difference between polenta and corn meal? Can I just buy corn
>> meal or do I need to look for a different kind of ground corn?
>> Clueless from the mid-west
>
>Polenta is cornmeal... and it comes in different grinds, like cornmeal
>does. I've been trying to figure out what the difference is between
>polenta and grits, myself. I've eaten lots of polenta, haven't
>touched a grit yet. Don't think I've even seen it.
>
>If you're willing to give polenta a try, here's a motherload of
>polenta recipes to sift through.
>http://www.recipesource.com/fgv/polenta/indexall.html
thanks. I love to have ideas for an ingredient.
Janet US

On 5/28/2012 1:12 PM, Janet Bostwick wrote:

> O.k., I'm willing to try it. It just isn't part of my mid-western
> culture and I imagine that it will have a mouth feel similar to Cream
> of Wheat. But I will try it. First though. . .will someone explain
> the difference between polenta and corn meal? Can I just buy corn
> meal or do I need to look for a different kind of ground corn?
> Clueless from the mid-west

I never had it growing up in the Mid-Atlantic either and tried it once.
It just wasn't my thing.

On Mon, 28 May 2012 18:37:19 -0400, Cheryl >
wrote:

> On 5/28/2012 1:12 PM, Janet Bostwick wrote:
>
> > O.k., I'm willing to try it. It just isn't part of my mid-western
> > culture and I imagine that it will have a mouth feel similar to Cream
> > of Wheat. But I will try it. First though. . .will someone explain
> > the difference between polenta and corn meal? Can I just buy corn
> > meal or do I need to look for a different kind of ground corn?
> > Clueless from the mid-west
>
> I never had it growing up in the Mid-Atlantic either and tried it once.
> It just wasn't my thing.

The polenta probably wasn't salted enough. Serve this on a bed of
soft polenta (fried would work just as well and you'd probably like it
better). Roman Style Chicken
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/g...ipe/index.html
I used boneless chicken and didn't bother with capers. Don't forget
to salt the polenta, because it will be flat tasting if you don't.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

"Janet Bostwick" > wrote in message
news
> On Sun, 27 May 2012 22:04:31 -0400, George M. Middius
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>Polenta is boring. Lousy texture, practically no flavor -- just toss
>>it along with the Twinkies and Campbell's soup.
>>
>
> O.k., I'm willing to try it. It just isn't part of my mid-western
> culture and I imagine that it will have a mouth feel similar to Cream
> of Wheat. But I will try it. First though. . .will someone explain
> the difference between polenta and corn meal? Can I just buy corn
> meal or do I need to look for a different kind of ground corn?
> Clueless from the mid-west
> Janet US

My father would have said just buy coursely ground cornmeal. Boil it in
salted water to make cornmeal mush. You can find a recipe for fried
cornmeal mush/aka polenta in any basic cookbook. Chill the mush in the
refrigerator, then roll it and slice it into rounds. Pan fry it in a
skillet in butter, season as desired. Polenta is also wonderful topped with
red gravy and/or some cheese.

Jill

On May 29, 3:56*pm, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> "Janet Bostwick" > wrote in message
>
> news >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Sun, 27 May 2012 22:04:31 -0400, George M. Middius
> > > wrote:
>
> >>Polenta is boring. Lousy texture, practically no flavor -- just toss
> >>it along with the Twinkies and Campbell's soup.
>
> > O.k., I'm willing to try it. *It just isn't part of my mid-western
> > culture and I imagine that it will have a mouth feel similar to Cream
> > of Wheat. *But I will try it. *First though. . .will someone explain
> > the difference between polenta and corn meal? *Can I just buy corn
> > meal or do I need to look for a different kind of ground corn?
> > Clueless from the mid-west
> > Janet US
>
> My father would have said just buy coursely ground cornmeal. *Boil it in
> salted water to make cornmeal mush. *You can find a recipe for fried
> cornmeal mush/aka polenta in any basic cookbook. *Chill the mush in the
> refrigerator, then roll it and slice it into rounds. *Pan fry it in a
> skillet in butter, season as desired. *Polenta is also wonderful topped with
> red gravy and/or some cheese.
>
> Jill

We serve it with chicken fried with rosemary and sage, and cream gravy
made with the drippings.

On 5/29/2012 6:56 PM, jmcquown wrote:

> My father would have said just buy coursely ground cornmeal. Boil it in
> salted water to make cornmeal mush. You can find a recipe for fried
> cornmeal mush/aka polenta in any basic cookbook. Chill the mush in the
> refrigerator, then roll it and slice it into rounds. Pan fry it in a
> skillet in butter, season as desired. Polenta is also wonderful topped
> with red gravy and/or some cheese.

Rolling and cut into thin squares was what I tried for an appetizer for
our Christmas and they just didn't turn out. They weren't pan fried
though, but baked and with fresh grated parm cheese sprinkled on top.

Cheryl wrote:

> Rolling and cut into thin squares was what I tried for an appetizer
> for our Christmas and they just didn't turn out. They weren't pan
> fried though, but baked and with fresh grated parm cheese sprinkled
> on top.

I don't know how that parmesan was but if it resembles parmigiano then it is
not enough fat, for polenta crostini (the ones you made) we usually prefer
fatter cheeses as sliced fontina or asiago or even taleggio. The point is to
get them crispy on the outside, the inside is already cooked so it just
needs to get warm. When the outside is crispy, add the cheese and melt.
Usually done under the oven broiler.

On Tue, 29 May 2012 23:50:47 -0400, Cheryl >
wrote:

>On 5/29/2012 6:56 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> My father would have said just buy coursely ground cornmeal. Boil it in
>> salted water to make cornmeal mush. You can find a recipe for fried
>> cornmeal mush/aka polenta in any basic cookbook. Chill the mush in the
>> refrigerator, then roll it and slice it into rounds. Pan fry it in a
>> skillet in butter, season as desired. Polenta is also wonderful topped
>> with red gravy and/or some cheese.
>
>Rolling and cut into thin squares was what I tried for an appetizer for
>our Christmas and they just didn't turn out. They weren't pan fried
>though, but baked and with fresh grated parm cheese sprinkled on top.

They are also baked but they would become dry like adobe... try again
but fry this time... in a liberal quantity of fat, butter or bacon
drippin's work well... typically fried like scrapple.

corn pone
Extremely popular in the southern United States, corn pone is an
eggless cornbread that is shaped into small ovals and fried or baked.

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

On Tue, 29 May 2012 23:50:47 -0400, Cheryl >
wrote:

> On 5/29/2012 6:56 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>
> > My father would have said just buy coursely ground cornmeal. Boil it in
> > salted water to make cornmeal mush. You can find a recipe for fried
> > cornmeal mush/aka polenta in any basic cookbook. Chill the mush in the
> > refrigerator, then roll it and slice it into rounds. Pan fry it in a
> > skillet in butter, season as desired. Polenta is also wonderful topped
> > with red gravy and/or some cheese.
>
> Rolling and cut into thin squares was what I tried for an appetizer for
> our Christmas and they just didn't turn out. They weren't pan fried
> though, but baked and with fresh grated parm cheese sprinkled on top.

If you ever want to try it again, the red pepper relish in this
recipe is really good and the whole package (one of the few times the
term "gestalt" fits the situation) of fried polenta squares topped
with sausage & relish is delicious.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Wed, 30 May 2012 09:51:56 -0700, sf > wrote:

> On Tue, 29 May 2012 23:50:47 -0400, Cheryl >
> wrote:
>
> > On 5/29/2012 6:56 PM, jmcquown wrote:
> >
> > > My father would have said just buy coursely ground cornmeal. Boil it in
> > > salted water to make cornmeal mush. You can find a recipe for fried
> > > cornmeal mush/aka polenta in any basic cookbook. Chill the mush in the
> > > refrigerator, then roll it and slice it into rounds. Pan fry it in a
> > > skillet in butter, season as desired. Polenta is also wonderful topped
> > > with red gravy and/or some cheese.
> >
> > Rolling and cut into thin squares was what I tried for an appetizer for
> > our Christmas and they just didn't turn out. They weren't pan fried
> > though, but baked and with fresh grated parm cheese sprinkled on top.
>
> If you ever want to try it again, the red pepper relish in this
> recipe is really good and the whole package (one of the few times the
> term "gestalt" fits the situation) of fried polenta squares topped
> with sausage & relish is delicious.

I didn't include the recipe URL, sorry.

Polenta with Spicy Sausage and Red Pepper Relish
Brian Boitano - 2009
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/b...ipe/index.html


--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.