I am not a morning person. The morning and everything connected with it (including breakfast) is the bane of my existence. Part of my problem is that I don’t like cereal, or oatmeal. I try to find a balance between a chocolate croissant and wheat germ, flax, and nut-crunch waffles. -- I save the smugly healthy stuff for lunch. This breakfast polenta is warm and comforting, has no added sugar, and with some nuts sprinkled on top, it feels like I am eating something good for me.
To be fair to Italy and polenta, this recipe is a far cry from real polenta, which takes an hour of stove-top stirring and is a savory meal. The back of my corn-meal box had a recipe for “Corn-Meal Mush”. Somehow Creamy Breakfast Mush sounded less appetizing.
Breakfast Polenta
1 ½ cups milk
¼ cup corn meal
In a deep saucepan heat the milk on medium, stirring occasionally to make sure the milk doesn’t burn at the bottom, or form a skin on the top. Once the milk starts to steam and is close to simmering, add the corn meal, sprinkling a bit at a time to avoid clumping. Continue stirring until the milk and corn meal is bubbling. Remove from heat. The consistency will be liquid-y but will become more gruel-like as it cools.
Frozen Berry Compote
½ cup frozen berries
1 teaspoon honey
Sprinkle of cinnamon
In a saucepan heat the berries over medium heat. As the berries thaw they will release their juices. At this point add the honey and cinnamon. Continue to stir occasionally. You can press the berries with the back of a spoon to form a more sauce-like consistency. Lower the heat and cook until a thick sauce has formed.
Top Polenta with healthy dollop of compote, and a sprinkle of nuts.
