I’m using instant polenta for this recipe because it works so well for my polenta party: I invite six friends over, and I cut the baked polenta into triangles and serve it with three different sauces: Simple Bolognese (page 65), Spicy Tomato Sauce (page 62), and Mushroom Ragù (page 80). My guests top the triangles with their choice of sauces, and there you have it: a new and easy way to entertain.

　　

Ingredients

6 side-dish servings or 4 main-course servings

　　2 teaspoons vegetable oil

　　6 cups cold water

　　1 teaspoon sea salt

　　1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　1 (13-ounce) package instant polenta

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 11 X 7-inch baking sheet, then line the baking sheet with wax paper.

　　

Step 2

In a large pot, combine the water, sea salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and slowly stir in the polenta. Continue stirring the polenta until it is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes. Pour the polenta onto the lined baking sheet, and bake in the oven until the polenta is slightly firm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. When the polenta is cool enough to handle, cut it into desired shapes, such as triangles, squares, diamonds, or rounds.

　　Reprinted with permission from Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Copyright © 2005 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.