Polenta

An Italian cornmeal dish that is generally enriched with eggs, butter, cream or cheese. The dish is cooked and served hot with butter, cheese or sauce, but is often cooled, allowing it to harden, and then sliced to be fried, grilled, broiled or baked. The Italian polenta is made with a coarser cornmeal than the U.S. version of this dish, which can be substituted if Italian polenta is not available. Traditionally made with yellow corn, polenta can also be made with white corn. The term "polenta" is also used in reference to the cornmeal used to make the polenta.