Polenta

Bring water to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan. Add salt and lower heat to a simmer. Slowly pour cornmeal into simmering water, stirring constantly. Cook polenta, stirring constantly until thick and creamy. Remove from heat and add butter and cheese if using and stir to blend well.

Varation: Add chopped sun dried tomatoes,sauteed mushrooms and minced Italian parsley to just cooked polenta. Or try your own combination of ingredients.Pour into a butterd loaf pan. To serve, brown in butter in a skillet or grill on the bbq (oil it first).

Place warm fingers of polenta on top of a main dish salad instead of croutons