Polenta With Bacon And Spring Onions

This was my first attempt at polenta and I was surprised at how easy it is to make. You just need a strong hand to stir the dish constantly and you're done. Kids love it, as it has the consistency and taste of mashed potatoes. You could add anything you wanted, and it will just absorb whatever flavor you add to it. I made the dish in a big non stick casserole so I didn't have any issue of it sticking to the dish.

This version can used as a substitute for mashed potatoes, or you could even try using it as a topping for a shepherds pie or any similar kind of dish.

Polenta with Bacon and Spring Onions

Ingredients:
1 cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
4 cups of water
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp of butter
1 stock cube

1/2 cup of diced bacon
few spring onions thinly sliced

Method:
Fry the bacon in a small frying pan, with a tiny bit of oil. Fry it to the texture you like your bacon. Some like it crisp, others like it just lightly fried. Add in the spring onions and give it a quick stir. Remove and set aside.

In a large non stick casserole, bring the 4 cups of water to a boil. Alternatively, you could add 4 cups of boiling water from your kettle. Add in the stock cube. Very slowly, sprinkle in the polenta, stirring constantly with a non stick whisk. Do not worry if you get a few lumps, they disappear as you keep whisking. Continue stirring till you add in all the polenta. Now add in the butter, for some extra flavor. You can also add in the milk at this point. Adjust the milk according to the consistency you want the polenta to be. Add more milk if you want it to be like soft mashed potatoes.

Add in the fried bacon and leeks. Give it a good stir, and serve warm.