I made Amarula polenta to go with The Lazy Makoti’s chicken wings that were served up with Amarula cream sauce. The Amarula adds both taste and creaminess to the polenta.
Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Amarula Polenta ♥
Mixing it up
For those of you that have been with me for a while, you will know that we follow a Mediterranean diet. This does not mean we only eat foods from that region. But it does mean we follow the guidelines of that lifestyle. I love all things Italian, and making polenta is something I do not do often enough. And then, I made it two nights in a row. The second time was when I baked some chicken wings. There were not as many in the pack as I thought there were, and I knew we would need something ‘bulky’ to go with them. However, I have recently learnt that it is good to change what you eat with what. So, if you normally have chicken with rice, then swap the rice for another starch. Think of polenta, cous cous, quinoa or even potatoes.
So, what is polenta and why did I make Amarula polenta?
Polenta is an Italian dish of boiled yellow maize. I prefer using a fine ground quick cook polenta, which is softer and results in a creamier side dish. Despite being a staple of the richer northern Italians, this is true cucina povera. Cooked in households that are not wealthy, it can also be found in parts of central Italy. Quick cooked polenta should really be eaten after a second round of cooking by either baking it, or frying it. But I just add cream and cheese and make do. If you are a traditionalist, then you would have to simmer the grain in a lot of water, for at least 45 minutes, while stirring all the time! I decided to make Amarula polenta as I was following the chicken wings recipe from The Great Marula Menu.
Take a look at this inspiring recipe for ♥ Amarula Polenta ♥ from Lavender and Lime #LavenderAndLime Share on X
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
Amarula Polenta
Ingredients
- 320 mls water
- 112 g quick cook polenta
- 5 mls salt *
- 30 mls Amarula **
- 18 g butter
Method
- Place the water, polenta and salt into a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium to high temperature
- Stir for 5 minutes while cooking, then add the Amarula and continue stirring while cooking for another 5 minutes
- Remove from the heat, add the butter and whisk in to combine
- Serve immediately
Notes
** Amarula is a cream liqueur from South Africa. It is made with sugar, cream and the fruit of the African marula tree. You can substitute this with any cream liqueur, or plain cream if you want to keep the polenta alcohol free.
See the links below for blog posts I published on February 20:
- 2024: Menemen
- 2022: A Slow Fire Burning
- 2019: Field And Fork
- 2017: Ginger Beer Bread
- 2014: Creamy Chicken Pasta
- 2013: Eagle Encounter And Wine Tasting At Spier
- 2012: Three Cheese Chicken Alfredo Bake
Interesting, especially since I am rather fond of polenta. Finally looked at the availability of Amarula here Down Under – no problem at all at my favourite Dan Murphy’s chain – I guess about $A30 a bottle seems fair enough?!
Compared to other liqueurs my friends drink, that seems in line – but expensive when compared to ‘own brands’ from Coles etc. In Rands, that is extremely expensive, but then again, it is imported. Alcohol is much cheaper here than ‘down under’ 🙂
does the amarula make the polenta sweet?
not too sweet. slightly sweeter than cream would 🙂
I am more interested in those wings :-))
recipe will follow soon 🙂
Very interesting! I love Amarula but have never imagined it in polenta!
I never would have tried it either had I not been at the launch of the recipe book, where we had it in risotto 🙂
Lovely! I haven’t made polenta in a long while, and now I have to make it.
Hope you enjoy it!
I love polenta, and this one looks so good. And the use of Amarula liqueur? How unique and interesting!
Thank you Ben 🙂