Polenta

Polenta is a traditional dish of northern Italian cuisine, a thick porridge cooked from cornmeal in water or stock. Once the food of the poor, today polenta has become a popular and even refined dish, a flexible base for countless gastronomic variations.

Polenta is made by slowly sprinkling cornmeal into boiling liquid and stirring continuously for a fairly long time, until the mass thickens and becomes smooth and creamy. It is served in two main forms. Soft polenta — hot, creamy, like a purée — serves as a wonderful side to meat stews, game, braised dishes, and mushrooms, and as a base to which butter and cheese (parmesan, gorgonzola) are added. Firm polenta is a cooled and set mass, which is cut into slices or bars and fried, baked, or grilled to a golden crisp crust; such pieces are served as a base for appetisers, a side, or even a replacement for bread. Polenta has a pleasant, slightly sweetish corn flavour and combines wonderfully with rich sauces and cheeses. Simple, hearty, gluten-free, and versatile, polenta is a warm classic of Italian home cooking.