Last night we had friends for dinner and I made the kids a baked mac and cheese casserole, which meant I was free to cook something else for the grown ups, which I did. A while ago, I made Ina's Creamy Parmesan Polenta, which I have adapted to make vegetarian.
Serves 6 to 7
6 cups vegetable stock
3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups of Bob's Red Mill medium grind cornmeal (however I used 2 cups of the Quaker cornmeal found in the baking aisle)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 cups of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 T crème fraiche (usually found in the cheese section and not the dairy case)
3 T unsalted butter, diced
Combine the stock and the garlic in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and very slowly add the cornmeal whisking as you pour to make sure that there are no lumps. As is thickens, switch to a plastic or wooden spoon, and add 1 T of salt and some pepper. Simmer 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly until thick. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese, crème fraiche and butter. Serve hot with roasted vegetables.
