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POLENTA

How to Cook Polenta

Traditionally made in a gleaming, unlined, copper kettle called a paiolo, polenta is more than just a mixture of cornmeal and water that thickens to become a soft pudding with a color as golden as the sun.  It is one of the oldest dishes in Italy and a mainstay of the Roman diet.  Puls or pulmentum was first made with a wheat called faro.  In medieval and Renaissance times the same dish was made with spelt, chestnut flour, or millet.  Corn didn't  arrive in Italy until the 16th century.  Pasta had become so universally accepted as the national dish of Italy that it is hard to believe that perhaps just 2 generations ago, pasta was foreign to certain regions of Italy.  In the Veneto, Friuli, and Lombardy regions, it was polenta that was the backbone of culinary culture.  It was a perfect and substantial one-dish meal when accompanied with fresh local ingredients.

Italy Al Dente: Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi, Polenta, Soup

Preparing polenta was quite a ritual.  The copper kettle, or paiolo, was kept hanging on a hook in the center of the fireplace.  The hearth would often accommodate a bench on which the family sat as they watched the stream of cornmeal being poured in the boiling water.  Then they waited for the constant stirring of the cook to transform it into a meal.  The cornmeal became polenta in 35-45 minutes.

The term polenta refers both to Italian yellow or white cornmeal and to the cooked mixture made from it.  In Italy, the best polenta is made from cornmeal that is freshly ground within the 2-3 week harvest period.  Italian long-cooking polenta has a fine, even grind, that has a better flavor and cooks to a smoother, more even consistency than American cornmeal or quick-cooking varieties.

Polenta is flexible and forgiving.  You must guard against lumps but it is actually difficult to ruin polenta.  You will see cooking times that vary from 30 to 45 minutes.  The freshness of the polenta, the type of corn from which it is made, the coarseness of the grain, its moisture content, and how it has been stored all influence how long polenta will take to become tender.  You cannot rush the process by turning up the heat.  The simple way to check if it is done is to taste it.  The grains should be tender with a distinct flavor of corn and it should be the proper consistency, neither too thick nor too thin.  To serve soft and creamy polenta, the consistency should be that of a thick soup.  To serve it as a side dish, you want it slightly thicker.  Polenta that will be cooled and cut into shapes requires a longer cooking time.

Polenta is so versatile that it can be eaten as an antipasto, an entrée, or as a side dish.  It can be prepared and served immediately in a soft mound topped with butter, Parmesan of Gorgonzola cheese, or with various sauces.  Or it can be turned out onto a wooden board or baking sheet and allowed to cool.  When it is firm enough to slice, it can be grilled or fried.  In some regions of Italy, you can find women frying big ovals of polenta, then sprinkling them with sea salt and serving them as walk-around food.

Serving Polenta Hot and Soft

*  With butter and grated Parmesan cheese melted into it, it can be eaten alone.     Or you may soften a creamy Gorgonzola cheese to room temperature and then blend it into a hot, very soft polenta. *  Polenta can provide a bed for shrimp or other seafood that has been sautéed with a little garlic and extra virgin olive oil. *  Polenta  is a wonderful side dish with any stewed, braised or roasted meat or poultry.  It is desirable to have enough juices            available from the meat to lightly sauce the polenta.

When Polenta is Allowed to Cool

*  It can be sliced and grilled and served alongside a fried mixture of seafood,  meat, or poultry and vegetables. *  It can be sliced and baked with a variety of fillings, similar to lasagne *  It can be cut into shapes and fried crisp in vegetable oil and served with salads, alongside meats or before dinner with drinks.

Recipes: Polenta Crostini with Mushrooms Polenta Crostini alla Pizzaiola Double Cheese Polenta Gratin with Rosemary Baked Polenta with Bolognese Sauce Polenta Pound Cake

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