Polenta

"Every three months, I host a dinner party for the supper club I belong to," says Brianna P. Burks of Salt Lake City, Utah. "The last time it was my turn to cook I prepared an Italian dinner and set myself a new challenge: to make otherwise bland polenta into a truly delicious side dish. I found that Fontina adds creaminess and flavor, and thyme is just the right accent." Wonderful with steak, chicken or pork.

"Ever since I tried the polenta with mushrooms at Vinci in Chicago, I've made a point of stopping there when I'm in town," says Colby L. Crabtree of Lexington, Kentucky. "The dish is so popular that the management counts the orders. Every time they hit ten thousand, the guest who requested it gets a free trip to Italy. I’d be happy just to 'win' the recipe."

Saint André, a French triple-cream cheese, would also be nice here instead of Brie.

Here's a creamy, low-fat dish that rivals the homey goodness of mashed potatoes. Leftovers are great with scrambled eggs for brunch.

This easy side dish pairs perfectly with our Pork Chops with Coriander-Cumin Spice Rub .

Little polenta "tarts" are filled with tomatoes, pine nuts, and blue cheese, then popped into the oven until the cheese melts.

A beautiful, colorful and delicious appetizer. Open a bottle of Sangiovese with dinner.

This soft polenta is good topped with parmesan and fresh thyme and rosemary.

Begin this dish early in the day to allow the polenta to set.

Cornmeal may be either fine- or coarse-grained. Both work well in the following recipe; we used a fine-grained variety found in most supermarkets.

Although traditional Italian polenta is simmered for nearly an hour, resulting in a very creamy consistency, for the following recipe we preferred the more rustic texture of this quickly cooked version.

These can be served with the Veal, Mushroom and Red Wine Sauce or as a side dish for grilled meats.

This recipe originally accompanied Rib-Eye Steaks with Roasted Red Peppers a Balsamic Vinegar .

Once the polenta is made (which, for convenience, can be done a day or two ahead of time) this dish is a snap to put together. Simply sauté the polenta pieces, grill the flank steak, place them on the plate, and spoon on the luscious roasted shallot vinaigrette and you have a quick and very satisfying plate of food. A mound of sautéed mushrooms, or for something lighter, asparagus or haricots verts, is a perfect accompaniment. Crispy potatoes are a splendid substitute for the polenta.

Karla Medina of League City, Texas, writes: "At a food festival in downtown Houston, I had a sampler plate from Carmelo's Italian Restaurant. The eggplant Parmesan and spicy meatballs were very good, but the polenta was out of this world. I'd love to know how they prepared it."