Essential · 1 hour · Serves 4
Creamy polenta with corn, cheese and roasted bell peppers
Illustrative image generated with AI, not a photo of the cooked dish.
Kitchen test pending
The same root as the white polenta bar with corn cream of the family: polenta, sweet corn, roasted bell peppers and cheese. This version leaves the polenta soft, served in a deep bowl as in the homes of northern Italy and the Argentine interior, with all the corn flavor inside.
The twist is to put the corn into the polenta in two ways. The kernels are grated and cooked with the milk, which takes on their sweetness, and another part is browned in the pan with butter and added at the end for texture. Roasted bell pepper strips and a creamy cheese that melts on top complete the dish.
Special equipment: heavy-bottomed pot; whisk
Ingredients
Roasted bell peppers
- 2 red bell peppers
- 15 ml olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- Fine salt
Browned corn
- 2 fresh ears of corn, or 250 g frozen kernels
- 15 g butter
- Fine salt
Creamy polenta
- 2 fresh ears of corn, grated on the coarse side of the grater (about 250 g pulp)
- 600 ml whole milk
- 400 ml vegetable stock or water
- 150 g instant or quick-cooking polenta
- 40 g butter
- 60 g grated Parmesan-style cheese
- Fine salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg
Finishing
- 150 g cremoso cheese or mozzarella, in cubes
- Basil or parsley leaves
Method
Roasted bell peppers
- Roasting. Roast the whole bell peppers over the flame, on the grill or under the broiler, turning them, 10–15 minutes, until the skin is black all over. Enclose them in a covered bowl 10 minutes, peel them without rinsing, discard the seeds and cut them into strips. Toss with the oil, garlic and salt.
Browned corn
- Sautéing. Cut the kernels off the ears with a knife. Brown the kernels in the butter over medium-high heat 5–6 minutes, moving them little, until they have toasted spots. Salt.
Creamy polenta
- Corn base. Heat the milk with the stock and grated corn and simmer gently 5 minutes, so it takes on the flavor.
- Cooking. Lower the heat and pour in the polenta as a rain, whisking constantly. Cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for the time the package indicates, generally 5–8 minutes, until creamy and falling from the spoon in a thick ribbon. If it thickens too much, add hot milk or stock.
- Finishing. Turn off the heat and add the butter, grated cheese and half the browned corn. Season and add the nutmeg. It should be soft and glossy, spreading by itself on the plate.
Finishing
- At serving. Have the cremoso cheese in cubes and the leaves ready.
The dish
Use hot deep plates. Serve a generous ladle of polenta and tap the plate against your palm so it spreads. Scatter over it the cubes of cremoso cheese, so they melt with the heat, and then the bell pepper strips with their oil and the rest of the browned corn. Finish with a few basil or parsley leaves. Final look: a yellow, creamy, glossy polenta, the melting cheese, the red of the peppers and the toasted corn kernels.
Key points
- Pour in the polenta as a rain and whisk constantly.
- Leave it soft: it thickens as it cools on the plate.
- Brown the corn kernels in a single layer.
- Peel the bell peppers without rinsing, so as not to lose flavor.
Pairing
A dry Torrontés or an unoaked Chardonnay. Without alcohol, sparkling water with lemon.
Notes
- Leftovers: leftover polenta can be poured into a dish, chilled, and the next day cut into sticks and browned in the pan.