Um. Yum. This was one of the best dinners I've made in a long time.  I owe a special thank-you to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/dining/17mini.html?ref=dining">the Minimalist</a> and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/dining/17minirex1.html?ref=dining">the NYT</a>. I've never eaten polenta before but after reading the article and recipe in the NYT this afternoon, I figured that I have to git it a try. Mark Bittman says it's easy and all of Bittman's recipes are good so why not? Also, cornmeal is cheap, cheap.

[caption id="attachment_2160" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Polenta Bulgaria! "]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/dsc01503.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2160" title="Polenta Bulgaria! " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/dsc01503.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>[/caption]

Okay you do have to stir for like 20-30 minutes which is kind of a pain but one cup of cornmeal, a little salt, cheese and butter makes a pretty bang-up base for stir-fried veggies. <!--more-->Oh and a cup of cornmeal makes way more polenta than one girl can eat. I'll be cutting the recipe in half the next time I make it.

Here's what you need:

1 cup medium-to-coarse cornmeal

Salt to taste

1/2 to 1 cup  grated Kashaval cheese

2 tablespoons butter

Freshly ground black pepper

Put cornmeal in a medium saucepan along with 1 cup water and whisk well to make a slurry; continue whisking mixture to eliminate any lumps. Put pan over medium-high heat, sprinkle with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, whisking frequently and adding water as needed to keep mixture loose and free of lumps, between 3 and 4 more cups. If mixture becomes too thick, simply add a bit more water; consistency should be similar to that of sour cream.

Polenta will be done in 15 to 30 minutes, depending on grind. Add cheese and butter. Taste and add salt, if necessary, and lots of pepper; serve with anything you want on top. I decided to sauteed onions and mushrooms.

[caption id="attachment_2162" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Polenta Covered Salt Shaker"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/dsc01507.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2162" title="Polenta Covered Salt Shaker" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/dsc01507.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>[/caption]

The only thing that would have made this better? Not dropping my salt shaker in the polenta and having to fish it out with a spoon. You know, you can't win them all. But you can make a great dinner for next to nothing.

A bag of cornmeal cost me .95 leva and I used maybe 1/4 of it, two table spoons of butter .30 and 1/2 cup of cheese maybe 1 leva. An onion and 6 large mushrooms? I'd say 1 leva. So the total cost for the dish? 2.60.  The best part I get leftovers tomorrow. Total cost of tonight's dinner? 1.30 leva. Not bad. Not bad.

[caption id="attachment_2161" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="More Polenta"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/dsc01505.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2161" title="More Polenta " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/dsc01505.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>[/caption]