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Creamy Polenta Cooking polenta in modern times doesn’t have ...

2026-10-22T02:59:34Z

Creamy Polenta

Cooking polenta in modern times doesn’t have much in common with the way it was prepared for centuries in the regions that now make up Northern Italy. Polenta was traditionally cooked on a grand scale in copper cauldrons over open fire. There was a lot of stirring, ladling, and creative, resourceful uses of leftovers. Historically it was considered one of the humblest foods and when I came across this line about polenta in Honey From a Weed by Patience Gray (1986), it stuck with me. “The idea of polenta, planted firmly in the north Italian imagination, is the antithesis of modern aspirations. It therefore intrudes on modern life like a vague emotional regret.”
But, polenta is wonderful. And similar to other foods that were cast off in exchange for industrialized, refined counterparts – brown rice, naturally leavened breads, etc. — many people find their way back to the “old ways” eventually.
What is Polenta?
Think of polenta as a cornmeal porridge of sorts. In The Classic Italian Cook Book (1973), Marcella Hazan asserts the importance of polenta by saying, “…to call polenta a cornmeal mush is a most indelicate use of language. In country kitchens, polenta was more than food, it was a rite. It was made daily in an unlined copper kettle, the paiolo, which was always kept hanging at the ready on a hook in the center of the fireplace.” She goes on to describe a wonderful scene where, “…there was a moment of joy as it [polenta] was poured out in a steaming golden circle on the beechwood top of the madia…”
About This Polenta Recipe
Polenta is a regular preparation in my kitchen, and it can be cooked a number of ways. Not just in a cauldron lol. I jump back and forth between stovetop polenta and oven-baked polenta depending on a number of factors. Today I’m going to talk through my technique for making beautifully creamy polenta on the stovetop. We’ll get to the oven-baked version in a future post. That one is great if you just want to combine ingredients in a baking dish, push it into the oven, and forget about it until the timer goes off. But it’s not as creamy. In either case, the ingredient list is short, and most of your attention should be focused on sourcing some great cornmeal / polenta. Beyond that, a bit of patience, and technique is all you need. I love it served topped generously with this mushroom ragù as you’ll see down below.
Which Polenta (a.k.a. cornmeal or grits) Should I Use?
Look for stone-ground, whole grain, whole kernel polenta without any additives – preferably organic. Store-bought, quick-cooking, refined polenta is the starchy endosperm of the corn kernel, and much of the flavor from the bran and germ is stripped out in the milling process. These are a few favorites to look for.
Hayden Flour Mills Yellow Corn Polenta: My local market carries Hayden and this is the polenta I purchase most often. It is coarse grind, so it takes a bit longer to cook, but the flavor and texture is wonderful. (Pictured above right)
Bob’s Red Mill Organic Medium Grind Cornmeal: Stone-ground, whole grain. Readily available and a solid choice. If I’m looking for a polenta that will cook a bit faster, this is the one to grab because the corn is medium coarse and a bit finer. (Pictured above left)
Rancho Gordo Fine Yellow Polenta: If you like a finer grind, this is your choice. Organic, heirloom corn grown & ground by Anson Mills for RG. IYKYK.
Whole polenta is quite perishable. Use it quickly or store it in the freezer.
Do I Have to Stir Polenta with a Wooden Spoon?
If you read through old polenta recipes, many will mandate stirring with a wooden spoon. It’s a good suggestion, but your polenta will be just fine if you use a stainless steel spoon instead. That said, wood spoons are kinder to your pots, less likely to scratch (especially if your pots have any sort of coating). And, some metal spoons (especially very old ones) can react to acidic ingredients resulting in a metallic taste. If you’re making tomato sauce or sourdough, for example.
Polenta Variations
Knowing how to make a great pot of polenta sets you up with a foundation to keep it simple and straight-forward (like the creamy polenta recipe below), or to add your own twists and flavors. Here are a few ways you can switch things up.
Use broth: Instead of water as the base liquid in your polenta experiment with broths, teas, or other infusions. I often make mine with a favorite mushroom tea (topping the polenta with these baked mushrooms.
Make it herby: Polenta has a real affinity for certain herbs. My favorite is chives. Double down with a couple handfuls of snipped chives folded in along with some chive compound butter, near the end of cooking so the chives retain their brightness.
What to Do with Leftover Polenta
There are many things to do with leftover polenta. Patience Gray includes this wonderful paragraph (Honey From A Weed, 1986) that exemplifies the cycle of a pot of polenta, “…made one day to serve hot, what is left is sliced and fried in hot oil till golden (polenta fritta), or brushed with oil and grilled (polenta ai ferri), to eat the next day. If chopped salame, parmesan cheese, butter and egg yolks are added to the polenta once it is stiff, and, when it has cooled, the beaten egg whites are folded in, and the preparation put into an oiled oven dish, what emerges after 45 minutes in a hot oven is a torta di polenta.”
Here are a couple other ideas:
Baked Polenta: Slice into strips, brush with olive oil and pan-fry or bake at 350°F into golden, tasty slabs. Serve topped with mushroom ragù.
Polenta in Sourdough: This is a favorite polenta-centric baking tip. Crumble cooked (and cooled) polenta into sourdough prior to baking. I tend to do this after my second set of folds. Alternately, you can fold into quick-bread batters.
More Polenta Recipes
Caramelized Fennel with Herbed Polenta
Lentil Polenta Casserole
More Italian Recipes
If you’re looking for more simple Italian cooking inspiration, this classic risotto reigns supreme, good bruschetta never gets tired, this pesto is a forever staple (especially with this gnocchi), and homemade pasta is always special – pappardelle and pici forever!
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Vegetable Pot Pie I know a lot of people make vegetable pot pies ...

2026-10-16T04:23:25Z

Vegetable Pot Pie

I know a lot of people make vegetable pot pies with store-bought puff pastry, but over the years I’ve come to believe a homemade pie crust is, by far, the superior way to go. It makes the whole pot pie endeavor worth it. These pies are rustic and creamy, often lovingly constructed. A great pie crust lends butter-kissed backbone and structure. A flaky, decadent counterpoint to the classic, creamy, vegetable filling. Let’s make a pie!
Vegetable Pot Pie: Real Talk
My main piece of advice here is this. If you’re are aiming to make a vegetable pot pie from scratch, plan ahead. Going from start to finish in one go can be a bit of an undertaking – pie dough, filling, assembly, bake, etc. But! If you keep pie crusts at the ready in your freezer, and make the filling a day or two in advance, pulling this pie together is an absolute breeze.
Pro Tips:
There are a few things I do as I’m making pot pies to level them up. Little details to help delineate my pie from your average vegetarian pot pie.
Homemade pie crust: Per the opening paragraph, I’ll go to the mat encouraging you to make your own pie dough. Make a few rounds of dough and keep it in the freezer for months. The flavor! The flakiness! Once you nail down the pie dough making process it’s hard to go back to a store-bought crust. Can you use a store-bought crust for this recipe? Yes, absolutely. Will it be better with a homemade pie crust? Yes, absolutely.
Caramelize your onions: Really go for it. Most pot pie fillings have you sauté onions until tender in the beginning. I have you go well beyond that. By browning the onions and celery you’re developing more depth and flavor as the base of your filling.
Lemon zest: Sprinkle your pie plate with lemon zest before lining with the pie crust. Add some to your filling as well. The zest combines with the butter from the crust to perfume the whole situation. The brightness of the zest really brings something to the filling as well.
Vegetable Pot Pies: Common Mistakes
There are a number of common pitfalls to avoid when making a pot pie.
Cool your filling completely: When you go to assemble your pie, it’s important that your filling is completely cold. Adding a warm filling is going to melt the butter in your crust prematurely and can contribute to a soggy pie bottom in the end. You want a golden, structured bottom crust. The solution? If you’re in a rush, spread the hot pie filling across a large plate, and place in the refrigerator, stirring now and then until cool.
Place pie on baking sheet: This is one mistake I still make too often, unfortunately. Placing your pie on a baking sheet while baking will protect your oven from any spills, overflows, or melted butter. It makes clean up much easier and you won’t have things burning onto the bottom of your oven.
Keep an eagle eye on your crust: I love a deeply golden, rustic pie crust. But the edges of a pie can get dark while the center is still underbaked. A problem! Have tinfoil strips or a pie shield ready to protect areas of your pie until the rest of the pie catches up. If you want to up your pie game over time, a basic pie shield is a great, inexpensive purchase!
Pot Pie Leftovers:
Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to 5 days. Reheat in a 350°F / 175°C oven, covered in foil, until filling is completely hot.
Can I Make Pot Pies Ahead of Time?
If you want to make a pot pie ahead of time, make the filling in advance and refrigerate or freeze until ready to assemble the pie. Thawing first, of course. Make the pie dough ahead of time as well. You’re going to have more success baking the day you want to serve the pie.
Vegetable Pot Pie Variations
Make it spicy: Add a couple teaspoons of your favorite curry powder (or to taste) to the filling. You might also add some to the pie crust as well.
Explore different vegetables: Use what you have and love! Or explore what is seasonal. Great vegetable options include: sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, shredded cabbage, pumpkin, and corn. Roasted cherry tomatoes add an amazing burst of flavor.
Coconut milk: Use coconut milk (full fat) in place of the heavy cream for a different flavor profile.
Pesto: Skip the other herbs in the recipe and stir a couple tablespoons of pesto into your filling at the end. Or dollop it on top of the filling as you’re assembling your pot pie, before putting the top crust on.
More Pie Recipes
Shaker Lemon Pie
Deep Dish Quiche
Shaker Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Shepherd’s Pie
Flaky Pie Crust
Berry Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
all pie recipes
More Vegetarian Recipes
Vegetarian Paella
Vegetarian Poke Bowl
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
Vegetarian Chili
Sunshine Pad Thai (vegetarian)
All vegetarian recipes
Continue reading Vegetable Pot Pie on 101 Cookbooks

https://www.101cookbooks.com/vegetable-pot-pie/

Roasted Vegetable Recipes Knowing how to roast vegetables well is ...

2026-10-16T03:24:09Z

Roasted Vegetable Recipes

Knowing how to roast vegetables well is a power move. It’s a single technique that can be deployed across an impressive range of vegetables turning them into platters of food that is simple, unfussy, and just plain good.
How To Roast Vegetables – The Basics
You can use this basic technique for a wide range of vegetables – potatoes, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, string beans, cabbage, artichoke hearts, asparagus, etc. Seriously, don’t overthink it. Once you get your roasting technique nailed down, you can fancify things with added spices, under-dressings, and the like. But to start, here’s what to know:
High heat is your friend. Somewhere in the range of 400°F – it will give you tender interiors and nice, golden exteriors. Go too hot and you’ll burn the edges before the insides have time to cook. Some recipes might go a bit higher, others a bit lower, but if I’m just doing a basic vegetable roast, I typically set the dial right around 400°F.
Don’t crowd the pan. Your vegetables are going to put off a good amount of moisture as they roast, and they like some space to crisp instead of steam.
Cut vegetables to a similar size. This way they will cook in the same amount of time.
Group vegetables by cooking time. Like with like on the pan. You want to arrange your ingredients in zones based on estimated cooking time. For example, put asparagus which doesn’t take long to roast, on a small pan (or at the edge of a larger pan). Place ingredients that take longer to cook on another pan or in another zone, for example-potatoes or winter squash, That way you can remove them as they finish cooking.
Don’t skimp on the oil. You don’t have to go wild, but make sure everything gets a thin, even coat of olive oil before roasting.
Use this play-by-play: Heat oven to about 400°F. Toss each type of vegetable in a large bowl with a splash of olive oil and a good pinch of salt I often add a couple scoops of nutritional yeast in at this point but that’s entirely optional. Roast, tossing a couple times after things start browning, until vegetables are tender and have a good amount of golden color.
Jump to:
Favorite Roasted Vegetable Recipes
Roasted Winter Squash
Cauliflower, Broccoli & Other Brassicas
Roasted Tomatoes
Roasted Vegetable Dinners
Favorite Roasted Vegetable Recipes
Lemon Roasted Potatoes
These lemon roasted potatoes are made extra-special with very little effort, thanks to crushed garlic, lemon juice, herbs, and olive oil. For when you want to level up your roasted potatoes, but aren’t game for anything too wild.
Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini
A special roasted cauliflower inspired by Sara Forte’s new cookbook. It’s wildly delicious – loaded with herbs, dates, nuts, roasted red onions and tossed with a tahini dressing.
Roasted Delicata Squash
One of the best ways to make roasted delicata squash, inspired by my friend Molly Watson. This recipe uses the pretty, scalloped-edged cross-cuts of the delicata squash, a few small potatoes, chopped kale, radishes, almonds and a bold miso harissa dressing.
Roasted Broccoli
The bonus part of this roasted broccoli is the creamy tahini under-dressing along with the scallion-peanut sprinkle. Inspired by a sheet pan recipe in Alison Roman’s Dining In, this broccoli is on repeat.
Roasted Mushroom Sandwich
An open-faced mushroom sandwich on good bread slathered along with a bit of garlic, salted ricotta, and some herbs or crushed kale chips.
Roasted Winter Squash
Roasted Squash, Chile, and Mozzarella Salad
A Roasted Squash, Chile, & Mozzarella Salad tangled with spicy arugula from The Kinfolk Table, a beautiful cookbook celebrating small gatherings.
Miso Sesame Winter Squash
Inspired by a recipe in Bryant Terry’s cookbook, The Inspired Vegan. Roasted winter squash (and tofu) is combined here with a wonderful miso, maple, sesame and citrus sauce.
Farro with Roasted Butternut Squash
A wonderful farro and roasted butternut squash recipe. Balsamic roasted butternut squash, deeply toasted walnuts, and nutty farro come together in this delicious recipe.
Roasted Delicata Squash
One of the best ways to make roasted delicata squash, inspired by my friend Molly Watson. This recipe uses the pretty, scalloped-edged cross-cuts of the delicata squash, a few small potatoes, chopped kale, radishes, almonds and a bold miso harissa dressing.
Cauliflower, Broccoli & Other Brassicas
Cauliflower Caponata
This deeply flavorful caponata recipe cleverly trades out traditional eggplant for roasted cauliflower and uses an oven in place of deep-frying. The idea comes from Easy Wins by Anna Jones and has become an absolute favorite.
Roasted Broccoli
The bonus part of this roasted broccoli is the creamy tahini under-dressing along with the scallion-peanut sprinkle. Inspired by a sheet pan recipe in Alison Roman’s Dining In, this broccoli is on repeat.
Moroccan Roasted Vegetables
Roasted vegetables spiced with dried mint, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and a kiss of chile inspired by a trip to Morocco. Extra good with a dollop of salted yogurt and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
Beer-Roasted Cauliflower with Pasta
Poach a whole head of cauliflower in an olive-oil dappled, chile-spiked, beer-based broth, then wedge it & roast it until golden-crusted and butter tender.
Roasted Tomatoes
Roasted Tomato Soup
The tomato soup to make if you have a good blender and a haul of tomatoes. Tomatoes, onions, garlic, and a red pepper are roasted, then seasoned with a touch of smoky paprika. Couldn’t be more simple or flavorful.
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Keep these on hand to dial up all your favorite meals. They are intensely flavorful roasted cherry tomatoes. Made by roasting in a hot oven with olive oil, salt, and a bit of brown sugar. So simple to make and so good!
Roasted Tomato Salad
The next time you think of making a caprese salad, consider this roasted tomato salad instead. The special combination of both raw and roasted tomatoes, along with bright homemade harissa oil brings an element of the unexpected.
Roasted Tomato Salsa
The deep, caramelized flavors of roasted tomatoes and onions alongside the smokiness of the chipotles equals an incredibly good salsa.
Roasted Vegetable Dinners
Orzo Pasta with Roasted Vegetables
Orzo pasta provides the foundation here for an easy weeknight meal. Roasted delicata squash and kale are tossed with the pasta & salted yogurt. Super easy, so tasty. Also great with other pasta shapes!
Spicy Tahini Noodles with Roasted Vegetables
This is my favorite kind of weeknight meal. Noodles tossed with a quick sauce, topped with an abundance of vegetables, and kissed with chile feistiness courtesy of the condiment shelf.
Farro with Roasted Butternut Squash
A wonderful farro and roasted butternut squash recipe. Balsamic roasted butternut squash, deeply toasted walnuts, and nutty farro come together in this delicious recipe.
Cauliflower Caponata
This deeply flavorful caponata recipe cleverly trades out traditional eggplant for roasted cauliflower and uses an oven in place of deep-frying. The idea comes from Easy Wins by Anna Jones and has become an absolute favorite.
Roasted Mushroom Sandwich
An open-faced mushroom sandwich on good bread slathered along with a bit of garlic, salted ricotta, and some herbs or crushed kale chips.
Continue reading Roasted Vegetable Recipes on 101 Cookbooks

https://www.101cookbooks.com/roasted-vegetable-recipes/