Ginger Jar Food
Monday, September 14th, 2009
What would Jenny do…?
I can’t remember who gave me this idea, so if it was you, please remind me! I get lots of questions on jobs or from friends and family asking me why their recipe hasn’t worked, what they should have for their dinner, or for a new idea for ‘insert ingredient of choice’.
So I thought I’d make ‘what would Jenny do?’ official. If you have a food related question please drop me a line and I’ll see if I can help point you in the right direction. From recommending good restaurants to great cookery books or ideas from my own portfolio, ask away and I’ll do my best!
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Jenny
How do we cook polenta????? Been trying for a couple of years now and we just can’t get it right, thanks
Hello lovely Steve & Emily! So years on from Ski Beat polenta is still a sticky subject? Well there are loads of ways of cooking polenta but my favourite is to make it firm then shallow fry it in pieces. Jamie Oliver’s basic recipe for ‘firm’ polenta is 255g polenta to 1.7 litres water. I use a lightly salted chicken stock instead of water to give more flavour.
HOW? Cook the polenta by bringing the stock to the boil and stirring in the polenta. It will boil away volcanically so put a lid on it loosely and turn the heat down. Jamie recommends around 40 to 50 minutes of cooking time, until you have the consistency of fluffy mash. At this point I add my flavourings, so a good handful of grated parmesan, some more sea salt and ground pepper, and some chopped woody herbs such as rosemary or thyme.
Turn the polenta out and pack it into a shallow baking tray (depending on how thick you want your slices) and allow it to cool. When cool you’ll be able to cut it into shapes and then griddle or shallow fry it to finish.
Hope that helps. ENJOY! GJ