Polenta Soup Recipes

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onions, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to brown, about 6 minutes.
• Add the parsley, thyme, garlic, tomatoes and zucchini, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Slowly stir in the polenta and cook until the soup thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle into soup bowls and serve.

Steps:

• Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Core and finely chop the tomatoes, reserving the juices.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic, tomatoes, reserved juices, stock, corn and chiles. Bring liquid to a simmer, then cover the pot and cook gently over low heat for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile rinse and mince the cilantro (or parsley).
• While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle the cornmeal into the simmering soup. Simmer gently, uncovered, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Make sure you occasionally stir the bottom of the pot to prevent the cornmeal from sticking.
• Season soup to taste.
• Right before serving, add lemon or lime juice, cilantro, and cheese (if you are using it.

Steps:

• 1. Tip: For a smooth and velvety soup like Lydia's, I pulsed my cornmeal in my food processor for about 20 seconds before starting the recipe. First, whisk the polenta and flour in a saucepan.
• 2. Starting with 1 cup of broth, whisk the broth and polenta-flour mixture and remove any lumps. Add the butter and salt and stir.
• 3. Continue adding broth while whisking and place on medium-high heat to bring to a boil. Lower to medium heat and simmer soup for 25 minutes. Stir gently.
• 4. Add spinach to soup and stir. Continue cooking on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. If using, serve with grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy.

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more, until its aroma is released.
• Add the chicken stock, water, and salt to the pan and increase the heat to medium high. When the liquid is simmering, gradually sprinkle the polenta over in a very slow, thin stream, whisking constantly in the same direction until all the grains are incorporated and no lumps remain. Reduce the heat to very low. Switch to a wooden paddle and stir thoroughly every few minutes for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and the grains of polenta have softened. Stir in the butter, thyme, pepper, and grated Manchego and remove from the heat. Spoon some polenta into each of 6 warmed shallow soup bowls and top with some of the roasted peppers and chopped cilantro.

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, bring the chicken broth, oil, garlic and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and whisk in the polenta. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan, mascarpone, pecorino and butter. Cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Fold in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes longer. Add 1/4 cup water if the mixture gets too thick.
• Pour the polenta into a large bowl and serve with grated Parmesan over the top.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, broth, corn and chilies. Bring the liquid to a simmer then cover the pan and cook gently over low heat for 15 minutes. Meanwhile rinse and mince the cilantro.
• While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle the cornmeal into the simmering soup, Simmer gently uncovered until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir the bottom on occasion to make sure the cornmeal isn't sticking.
• Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Right before serving stir in the lime juice. Portion out and garnish if you wish with cheddar cheese, cilantro and chopped green bell pepper.
• VARIATION -You can enrich it with cubed smoked ham or roasted pork

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Pour water into the prepared dish; stir in polenta and salt.
• Bake in the preheated oven until polenta is thickened, about 40 minutes. Stir in squash, sour cream, and Cheddar cheese. Continue baking until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• For firm polenta use 4 cups water; for soft polenta use 5 cups water. Bring water to a boil in a medium-size heavy sauce pan over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Pour cornmeal slowly into water, stirring with a wire whisk or wooden spoon. Continue stirring as mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn heat to low. Cook for at least 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. If polenta becomes quite thick, thin it with 1/2 cup water, stir well and continue cooking. Add up to 1 cup more water as necessary, to keep polenta soft enough to stir. Put a spoonful on a plate, let it cool, then taste. Grains should be swollen and taste cooked, not raw. Adjust salt and add pepper if you wish.
• For firm polenta, lightly butter a baking sheet or shallow dish, approximately 8 1/2 by 11 inches. Carefully pour polenta into pan. Using a spatula, spread polenta to a thickness of 3/4 inch. Cool to room temperature to allow polenta to solidify. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For soft polenta, add 6 tablespoons butter to pot and stir well. Serve immediately or transfer to a double boiler set over low heat, cover and keep warm for up to an hour or so. (Or set the saucepan in a pot of barely simmering water.) Stir well before spooning into low soup bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan, if desired.

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan; pour polenta slowly into boiling water, whisking constantly until all polenta is stirred in and there are no lumps.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until polenta starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Polenta mixture should still be slightly loose. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 to 6 minutes. When polenta is too thick to whisk, stir with a wooden spoon. Polenta is done when texture is creamy and the individual grains are tender.
• Turn off heat and gently stir 2 tablespoons butter into polenta until butter partially melts; mix 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into polenta until cheese has melted. Cover and let stand 5 minutes to thicken; stir and taste for salt before transferring to a serving bowl. Top polenta with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and about 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish.

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Pour in polenta steadily, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until polenta is thickened. It should come away from sides of the pan, and be able to support a spoon. This can take anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes. Pour polenta onto a wooden cutting board, let stand for a few minutes.

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup oil and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add 6 cups water; bring to a boil. Whisking constantly, add cornmeal in a slow, steady stream. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until soup has thickened slightly, about 8 minutes. Add cheese and 1/4 cup oil; cook, stirring, until oil is incorporated, about 1 minute. Stir in spinach and salt; cook, stirring, until spinach is bright green and wilted, about 1 minute more.
• Divide soup among four bowls; drizzle each serving with 1 teaspoon oil. Season soup with pepper, and serve with lemon wedges.

Steps:

• In a medium stockpot, bring chicken broth to a simmer.
• Slowly stir in cornmeal and simmer, stirring often for about 30 minutes or until smooth with a creamy texture.
• This also makes a great soup-base for other soups. You can make it as thin or as thick as you like by adjusting the amount of cornmeal.
• This soup is bland until you add your favorite spices or seasonings. We start with it like this -- perfect for sick days.