Ingredients
1 1/2 qt water
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
1 gravy, butter, cheese or
1 tomato sauce
Directions
In a 4 quart saucepan, bring water and salt to boil. Slowly pour
cornmeal into boiling water, stirring constantly to keep mixture
smooth Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes or
more or until polenta is thick enough to support a sp Serve at once
with gravy, butter, cheese or tomato sauce. Or cool and slice to fry
or broil. Makes 6 servings
Per serving: Calories 125 Fat 1g No cholesterol Sodium
711 mg Percent calories from fat 4%
Knigh-Ridder/Tribune Information Services Dallas Morning News-Food
8/21/96 Typos by Bobbie Beers
Servings: 4 servings
Classic Polenta Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bread; Breads
The History of Recipes
It is possible to trace the history of `recipes` way back into the distant past, certainly as far as ancient Egypt, and maybe further still. In practice though, in the main part, these ancient recipes were just very simple hieroglyphic instructions for preparing food.
The truth of the matter is, the oldest recipe discovered so far, according to experts in ancient history are some tablets in Sumerian which show the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made drinkers feel exhilarated and blissful. Later on, in The time of the roman empire 25BC a man called Apicius assembled a few documents detailing recipes prepared by wealthy Romans. In his publication, Apicius tells us how the roman meals were separated into appetizers, main course and afters, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. He also informs us how the Romans were skilled in the use of many spices, including a few that will be familiar to modern cooks for example thyme, rue and parsley. Later, in the fifteenth century, the Crusaders brought back a variety of foods and herbs from Arab cuisine, including parsley and basil. The introduction of these new tastes created a torrent in manuscripts on cookery, the majority of which still exist in private libraries. During the following few hundred years, the powerful families of the West competed to lay on the most exotic meals, and because of this the best cooks and their recipe collections increased in prestige. Notwithstanding that, it was during the nineteenth century the formal cooking and cookery books really came of age. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, devoted much of their lives to collating, testing, and publishing the recipes of their peers. By the time we get to the 1900s, recipe books are highly popular mostly as a result of higher levels of literacy, people having more leisure time and a general increase in wealth. |
We hope you enjoy this Classic Polenta recipe.
