Buckwheat Polenta with Walnuts, Pomegranate + Mascarpone

Every week, Caroline Wright creates simple, civilized recipes for Food52 that feed four -- for under $20, in under 20 minutes.

Today: A festive weeknight dinner, in less than twenty minutes.  

Polenta is a component of so many simple, elegant meals -- perhaps served as a side along with some braised meat, or as a bed for vegetables. The polenta here is brought to the center of the plate -- or, in this case, a board -- and is made heartier with the addition of buckwheat and a scattering of nuts, pomegranate and mascarpone. (This recipe is based on the Italian dish taragna, which is a sort of buckwheat-polenta porridge.) The thick polenta solidifies on the board just minutes after it is poured out, lending its warmth to melt the mascarpone. Sliced, the rich polenta makes a great pair for a bitter greens salad with a lemon dressing.

Buckwheat Polenta on a Board with Walnuts, Pomegranate + Mascarpone

6 cups water?
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
?1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour?
1 1/2 cups fine cornmeal
?4 tablespoons butter
?1/3 cup walnuts, crushed?
1/4 cup pomegranate arils?
2 tablespoons mascarpone?
Olive oil for drizzling

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

As a freelance food writer and cook, I first wrote this style of recipe as a column on my blog, The Wright Recipes, as an excuse to cook good food for my friends in a quick and simple way. 

Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute™ Meals grew into a cookbook that was published by Workman in May 2013. The recipes found here are original, made especially for Food52 to once again celebrate simple food with friends.

Photo by Caroline Wright