Simple peasant food, polenta provides the perfect foil for spicy dishes. Offer it as a side dish, embellished with butter and Parmesan cheese; or serve it as you would pasta, topped with your favorite meat or tomato sauce. Polenta also makes a good breakfast. Once you've cooked it, pack it into a loaf pan; let cool, then cover and refrigerator until thoroughly chilled. Slice the polenta 1/2-inch thick, brown the slices in butter, and serve with maple syrup. This recipe is from the Sunset Microwave Main Dishes cookbook. Please note: This recipe was cooked and tested on a 700-watt microwave. If your microwave is a higher wattage, you may want to lower the cooking power.