Italians call it polenta and Americans call it cornmeal mush. Polenta sounds more romantic so polenta it is. Traditionally, the cook stirs and stirs to get keep the cornmeal from lumping, sticking and burning. Cornmeal is very affordable and filling.
But I found a recipe that avoids all that standing and stirring. It's polenta in the microwave.
For four servings
Use a 3 quart microwave safe dish with deep sidess
Mix 1 cup of cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil (or use corn or canola oil)
3 1/2 cups water
Cover and cook on high til thick, 5 minutes or longer. Stir.
You can add tomato sauce and serve with Italian sausage. Or add parmesan cheese and stir to melt in. There are a lot of things you can do with polenta but it's used as a side dish.