Okay, so word on the street is that polenta can actually be quite tasty.

Dennis, I'll tell you what the only way is to eat polenta... you pour the bland, runny mess into a pan and let it harden. Then you slice it thickly and grill the slices (with a little olive oil on top) on a charcoal grill or under the oven grill. Serve it up with grilled meat or anything else...that's the solution. alles gute...Ellie

Dennis, Ms Ellie misleads you! It is not supposed to be 'runny' nor is it necessarily 'bland'! Polenta comes in two basic forms: smoothe & creamy like a porridge or grilled in slabs! I personally prefer it in 'porridge' format with a topping of sauce of some kind. Your 'funghi' sauce looks & sounds just right. You could also use a tomato based sauce or anything else that suits your tastebuds. It isn't so 'bland' if you add enough salt to taste & then the right sauce! Bravo for giving it a shot, but don't let my German counterpart sell it short! --Al

Greg even sent me a southwestern style polenta recipe with photos!

Cheesey polenta with black beans and cilantro lime sour cream

Bring 4 cups milk to a slight boil. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of butter. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of corn meal. Before it comes together add 1 1/2 cups of various types of cheeses of your choice, as well as 2 pinches of salt and a few grinds pepper. Spoon mixture into 4 greased ramekins and place in fridge for at least 3 hours.

To make the beans sautee 2 cloves minced garlic and 1/3 of a chopped red onion in a sauce pan. Rinse a can of black beans and add to sauce pan. Mix in 2 pinches of cumin, red pepper flakes, chipotle powder, salt, and pepper. Heat and mix well.

To flavor the sour cream, use the juice from two limes, a handful of cilantro, a little lime zest, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let sit in fridge for about and hour for the flavors to mix.

Grill polenta for five minutes on each side on a very hot and well-oiled grill.

Layer on a plate starting with the polenta, then beans, then sour cream, then few avocado slices. Garnish with cilantro.

Guess what's for dinner tonight! --Dennis