Instant Polenta (or Easy Cheesy Pleasey)

I'd cooked polenta before I had the Toddler but was never really in love with it. It was the 'proper' polenta that takes an age to cook on the stove top and which you have to stir carefully and I ended up thinking that the end result was not worth the effort (or the cleaning up afterwards). When the Toddler was first starting solids (at about 6 months) I tried her on some instant polenta and she loved it. As we introduced dairy products it took three minutes to make and a sprinkle of grated cheese and some leftover vegetables at the end turned it into a lovely rich mush (as pictured) that she was guaranteed to eat. The polenta can be simmered in water or can be made more healthy by cooking it in a chicken stock.

Instant polenta has become even more popular as the Toddler's consumption of finger foods has increased. The soft mush is placed in the fridge to set. You can add all sorts of things to the mush before it sets - diced cooked chicken, vegetables, fish (though the Toddler hates it with fish) or you can stick with plain old cheese.

Once the polenta is set you can cut it into pieces to grill or bake in the oven. I've set it as a thin sheet and then cut shapes out of it with cookie cutters in order to make a gluten-free gnocchi that you can bake in the oven with cheese and a tomato sauce (this idea is stolen from 'Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant' by The Moosewood Collective and a meal that I had at a camp ground in Fiesole in Tuscany). Finally, I have also set the polenta very thin in a greased round quiche tray and then made a gluten-free pizza out of it once it had set. The possibilities are endless and this is the reason instant polenta has made it onto our hit parade at least once a week.

250 grams instant polenta
1 litre water/stock

Boil the water/stock and then add the polenta. You need to stir it the whole time it is cooking (which is three minutes or until it is thick and mushy). Add cheese or other items (so long as they are already cooked)after the polenta has cooked. Serve the mush straight up to a younger child or place in the fridge in a container to set. Two or three hours later you can remove the set polenta by turning it over on a board and slicing into pieces. If you set the polenta very thin (by using a larger container) you can cut the pieces out with a cookie cutter. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees until golden brown or crunchy (the polenta may be eaten softer than this or without being cooked again if it is easier for your Toddler).

Notes:
* The hardest thing about instant polenta is finding it - I had to go to a health food store this time but in the past I have been able to get it from the larger supermarkets. It is a pretty cheap item no matter where you find it.
* You may want to brush your polenta pieces with olive oil before you bake them - particularly if you haven't put any cheese in them.
* Leftover bits of polenta sets like concrete - wash your saucepan and stirring spoon up as as soon as you have taken the polenta out of it. Alternatively, fill the saucepan up with water and place the spoon in it so it is easy to wash up later on.