polenta

"Did you know me better," returned the count, smiling, "you would not give one thought of such a thing for a traveller like myself, who has successively lived on maccaroni at Naples, polenta at Milan, olla podrida at Valencia, pilau at Constantinople, karrick in India, and swallows' nests in China.

Mini orange & blackberry loaf cakes These light sponge cakes, made with polenta and yoghurt and filled with juicy blackberries, are the ultimate summertime treat.

Yet, we are both referring to cornmeal mush, and that description fits a cornmeal-based polenta at its essence.

2 Mix the polenta and almonds together in a large bowl.

Serves 8-12 WHAT YOU WILL NEED 150ml of olive oil 200g caster sugar 200g ground almonds 100g fine polenta 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder Pinch of salt 3 large eggs, at room temperature Zest of 2 lemons (reserve juice) FORTHE SYRUP Juice of two lemons 125g of confectioner's sugar WHATTO DO Turn the oven on to 180c.

At this time of year however I think serving it with comforting buttery Parmesan polenta hits the mark.

sweet INGREDIENTS 2ltrs fresh chicken or veg stock; 200g polenta, cornmeal or grits; sprig of thyme; 80g Cheddar, grated; 30g parmesan, grated; 30g butter; pinch of cayenne pepper; pinch of white pepper; sea salt For the dirty prawns: 16 raw king prawns, peeled with tails on, deveined and split down the middle to butterfly; 1tbsp olive oil; 6 garlic cloves, crushed; 100g smoked streaky bacon, cut into lardons; 1tbsp butter; 4 spring onions, finely chopped; 1/2tsp sea salt; 1/4tsp white pepper; good pinch of cayenne pepper; squeeze of lemon juice METHOD 1.

1 orange, juiced and zested 2 tsp honey 2-3 heads of red chicory, halved olive oil or rapeseed oil 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube 200g quick-cook polenta 200g taleggio cheese, thinly sliced and broken into smaller pieces 4 good-quality Italian sausages handful of black olives, pitted and halved or squashed good pinch of chilli flakes

My corn and clam chowder has a somewhat Italian slant: It employs polenta and zucchini, and tastes like summer " bright, spectacular, golden and fleeting.

Hummingbird Wholesale, a Eugene-based organic foods distributor, recently added two products to its growing catalog - a nut butter and a polenta.

INGREDIENTS: A little Trex, for greasing 1 medium egg 2-3 drops vanilla extract 75g caster sugar 100g Trex, at room temperature 200g plain flour Pinch of salt 50g polenta or semolina To decorate: 250g icing sugar Pink food colouring METHOD: 1.

SWEETHEART BISCUITS INGREDIENTS: A little Trex, for greasing 1 medium egg 2-3 drops vanilla extract 75g caster sugar 100g Trex, at room temperature 200g plain flour Pinch of salt 50g polenta or semolina To decorate: 250g icing sugar Pink food colouring METHOD: 1.