Ingredients
1 pound or slightly more (500 g) coarsely ground corn meal (you want corn meal the consistency of fine to medium-grained sand, not flour)
2 quarts (2 liters) boiling water (have more handy)
A heaping teaspoon of salt
Preparation
Set the water on the fire in a wide bottomed pot and add the salt. When it comes to a boil, add the corn meal in a very slow stream (you don’t want the pot to stop boiling), stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to keep lumps from forming. Continue stirring, in the same direction, as the mush thickens, for about a half-hour (the longer you stir the better the polenta will be; the finished polenta should have the consistency of firm mashed potatoes), adding boiling water as necessary. The polenta is done when it peels easily off the sides of the pot.
