A-maize-ing grain: polenta

In its purest form
"With a dab of butter and a melting cloud of Parmean" -à la Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Try: cheesy polenta

As a main
April Bloomfield stirs kale purée, Parmesan and marscapone into her. In Umbria, it's mixed a tomato-based sauce and cannellini beans.

As porridge
Café des Artes in Franschhoek serves it with butter and honey.

Try: polenta porridge

In wedges
Allow cooled polenta to set and use as you would bruschetta

Instead of breadcrumbs

For extra-crispy roast potatoes, or as a batter for chicken or fish.

Try: Parmesan and polenta roast potatoes

For chips
Jamie Oliver does a spectacular baked version with a hot pesto dip

To bake moist cakes
Polenta adds what Nigella Lawson calls "flavoursome grittiness".

Try: gluten-free chocolate polenta cake or citrus-and-thyme polenta bundt cake.

In pastry
Yotam Ottolenghi's famous tarts and fruits galettes owe their crunch to his inspired addition of polenta to shortcrust pastry.

Browse polenta recipes here.