Rosemary Polenta

prep time:: 30 min plus a few hours cooling time.
total time:: 1 hr

Makes 12 to 18 servings

OK, get ready for this Barefoot Contessa recipe. This is so rich that you can eat it only on occasion, after you’ve been eating really, really healthy for months on end. Treat yourself with this maybe once a year at most. It’s that sinful.

ingredients

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups milk
2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup good grated Parmesan cheese
Flour, olive oil, and butter for frying

directions

1
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, rosemary, salt, and pepper and sauté for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, half-and-half, and milk and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly sprinkle the cornmeal into the hot milk while stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for a few minutes, until thickened and bubbly. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan. Pour into a 9x13x2-inch pan, smooth the top and refrigerate until firm and cold.
2
Cut the chilled polenta into 12 squares, as you would with brownies. Lift each one out with a spatula and cut diagonally into triangles. Dust each triangle lightly in flour. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan and cook the triangles in batches over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, until browned on the outside and heated inside. Add more butter and oil, as needed. Serve immediately.