Polenta for WW1 Maize Woodcock recipe which follows

This is a precursor for the recipe which will follow for Maize Woodcock.

Materials. – 1 quart water, ½ pint maize semolina (yellow), ½ oz. salt, 1 oz. fat, a little cheese (if this is added, fat may be omitted).

Method. – Boil the water, add salt and fat and semolina or cornmeal (yellow). If white maize is used, double the amount of maize meal is required. Boil for 15-20 minutes, stirring all the time, or place in a porringer[i], and cook for an hour. Turn out to cool, cut into slices, and flour and fry in a frying-pan, with a little fat. Sprinkle with grated cheese or serve plain.’
(Mrs C.S. Peel, The Victory Cookery Book, 1918)

Ingredients
750mls water
1 tsp salt
250g polenta
25g butter
grated cheese (optional)

Serves 6

1.  Bring the water and salt to the boil.
2.  Gently pour the polenta through your fingers into the pan, whisking all the time with a balloon whisk so as to avoid lumps.
3.  Keep whisking until all of the water is absorbed. If you do not use a fast action polenta, an easy way to cook it is to put it in a buttered dish, covered in foil, in the oven at 180 degrees C for 40 minutes.
4.  When the polenta is ready, stir in the butter and cheese, if using.  If you are forming polenta cakes for Maize Woodcock, then pour it into a non stick frying pan and leave it to cool before cutting.