Blue Cheese Polenta

Polenta takes 5 minutes in the Instant Pot - five! With no stirring, that’s right, no standing over a pot at the stove. This is NOT the way I was raised making polenta. I remember standing at the stove stirring the big pot of polenta with my great-grandmother. With it popping and hot splatters on my skin. This version is quite simple with just a few ingredients, but it is full of flavor. I have made it with both broth and water. My family prefers it cooked with water by far. I know that I will make polenta much more often with my Instant Pot, hopefully you will give it a try also.

Blue Cheese Polenta
By Lindsay blogging at Kitchen Musings Today
Adapted from The New Fast Food

4 cups water
1 cup coarse polenta
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Optional toppings:
Steamed broccoli*
Toasted pine nuts
Fresh Parmesan cheese
Sliced lemons

1.  Add water, polenta and salt to your pressure cooker, give it a good whisk. Add lid to the pressure cooker and set your knob to sealing.

2. Select Porridge and use the ‘-‘ button to adjust the time to 5 minutes. Once the polenta has finished cooking, allow it to rest for 10 minutes before opening the pressure cooker. Hit the cancel button.

3. Turn the knob to venting and allow any remaining pressure to release. Remove the lid tilting it away from you.

4. Add your blue cheese to the hot polenta and whisk it in until the cheese has melted. Mix in the chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Transfer to a serving dish and top with steamed broccoli, toasted pine nuts, fresh Parmesan and lemon wedges.

*To steam broccoli in the Instant Pot, place once cup of water in the liner. Add a steamer basket and place broccoli florets on it. Replace the lid and set knob to sealing. Select steam and use the ‘-‘ to set the timer to 0. Yes zero! Once the time is up hit cancel and carefully turn knob to venting, there will be a lot of steam that will be released. Once the pressure has been released remove lid and enjoy perfectly steamed broccoli.