Polenta is an excellent pantry staple to have on hand, perfect to pair with roasts like the Braised Short Ribs or seasonal veggies like the Roasted Root Vegetables with Sherry Vinaigrette, or served on its own with some parmesan and maybe tomato sauce. This one-stir, one-pan recipe makes it simple, and the "sheet" of polenta makes perfect servings and reheats like a champ.

Ingredients:
1 cup polenta (Italian cornmeal)
3.5 cups lukewarm water
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter

Instructions:
1. Start the Custom Cook. While the Brava preheats, combine the ingredients in the Brava Square Pan and stir.
2. Once preheated, slide the Square Pan into the top shelf and press the green button to bake. (The polenta will bake for 50 minutes.)
3. When notified, remove the Square Pan and mix the polenta well with a silicone spatula or similar utensil. Spread the polenta evenly throughout the pan. Return to top shelf and press the button to finish baking. (It will bake for 10 more minutes.)
4. Remove Square Pan from Brava and set to cool. After it cools slightly, slice into servings. You may be able to turn out the sheet of polenta onto a cutting board to make it easier; loosen the sides with your spatula, hold a cutting board on top like a lid, then flip. A few taps to the bottom of the pan should do the trick. Otherwise, slicing in the pan and serving from there works too!
5. To reheat, place servings on the Brava Metal Tray. You can spread some butter on the tray under the polenta or brush melted butter or olive oil on top of the polenta, if desired. Either Reheat to your preference, or Sear to get it a little crispy.

Riffs:
If you're worried about stickage, you can butter the Square Pan before adding the ingredients. I find the easiest way to do this is by holding a wrapped cold stick of butter like a crayon and using my fingers to get into the nooks the butter stick misses.
One of the easiest ways to jazz this up is adding grated parmesan either at the beginning or during the stir step. You can also add some dried Italian herbs or cracked black pepper at the beginning, too.
If you like a smoother polenta (this version ends up fairly well-set), use 4 cups of water, or even more. If you're after a richer flavor, you can use milk or chicken stock in place of water. Milk results in a very rich polenta, and chicken stock imparts a more full-bodied flavor.