Hallo gerr ...
Wah kayaknya gue bakalan sering nulis catatan bebas dan lepas di blog ini deh, tapi gapapa lah ya, namanya juga mengekspresikan hasil pemikiran gue.
Kalian semua tau kan kalo tiap hari sabtu dan minggu sore jam 16.30 jadwal tayang Master Chef Indonesia Session 3, tiap episodenya pasti saja selalu ada tantangan yang diberikan oleh 3 Juri MCIs3. Dari sekian banyak tantangan yang juri berikan kepada peserta, yang paling gue sering gue cermati si Juri sering banget ngasih tantangan yang di dalamnya terdapat komponen makanan berupa POLENTA. Nah gue penasaran banget nih sama yang namanya POLENTA ini. Awalnya gue kira kentang rebus yang dihaluskan karna warnanya itu kuning terang, tapi bukan.
POLENTA itu ternyata terbuat dari tepung jagung yang direbus dengan air kaldu. POLENTA berasal dari Italia yang berarti biji-bijian yang dihancurkan. Pada abad ke-16, jagung tidak dibudidayakan di Eropa. Dinawah ini ada resep dasar dalam membuat POLENTA.
INGREDIENTS
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup medium or fine cornmeal
- Butter
- Parmesan for soft polenta, optional
PREPARATION
- 1.
- 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.
- 2.
- 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.
- 3.
- 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.