It depends on the dish, but the answer is often yes.
Polenta is the name of a dish (Northern Italian corn porridge) made from coarse-ground cornmeal, not the grain itself. You don't need to buy a (possibly overpriced) bag of something labeled "polenta" to make polenta.
If you open up an Italian cookbook and look up a polenta recipe, it does not call for polenta in the ingredients. It calls for "farina gialla" or sometimes "farina gialla bramata (grana grossa)."
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Polenta is the name of a dish (Northern Italian corn porridge) made from coarse-ground cornmeal, not the grain itself. You don't need to buy a (possibly overpriced) bag of something labeled "polenta" to make polenta.
If you open up an Italian cookbook and look up a polenta recipe, it does not call for polenta in the ingredients. It calls for "farina gialla" or sometimes "farina gialla bramata (grana grossa)."
Here are some reference articles about polenta:
https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-cornmeal-and-polenta-word-of-mouth-211404
https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/05/how-to-make-the-best-polenta.html
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014527-basic-polenta
The NY Times article was written by David Tanis, former chef de cuisine at Chez Panisse.
Best of luck.