Basic Polenta
Corn, polenta, came to Italy from the New World, and yet, along with pasta and rice, it is one of the beloved starch dishes of Italy. Polenta was for the northeastern regions of Italy what potatoes were for Ireland. Corn grew in abundance there and fed many people and still does, so much so that the people of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region are known as polentoni, polenta eaters. I come from the region, and I grew up eating polenta and still do eat it often. As a child I had just cooked or leftover polenta for breakfast with milk and sugar or with caffe latte, or pan-fried with some sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top, as well as in endless ways accompanying vegetables, meats, fish, and cheeses. It is rather simple to cook—all you need is cornmeal, water, salt, olive oil, and a few bay leaves. When done, you can enjoy the polenta piping hot or let it cool and take shape, then cut and fry it, or grill and bake it, topped with anything you choose. In this chapter you’ll find it with leeks, with bacon lardoons, with Montasio cheese, or with just an egg yolk nestled in a piping-hot mound of polenta. Beyond the flavor of polenta, I look for the mouth feel, and that depends on the grind. Instant polenta will give you a smooth puddinglike texture, the medium grind a bit more texture, and the coarse will have almost a raspy feel in your mouth. There is also white polenta, milled from white corn, which is used much in the Veneto. And the polenta taragna, which has buckwheat milled along with the yellow corn, has much texture and flavor. The one important caution in cooking polenta is to get it smooth. Start it in cold water and whisk well while it cooks; it may take a bit longer but ensures lump-free polenta. Even though polenta might look done, make sure you cook it the recommended time; its digestibility and flavor increase with longer cooking time.
Recipe information
Yield
9 to 10 cups of polenta, serving 6 or more
Ingredients
For Basic Polenta
For Finishing Polenta
Recommended Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Put 10 cups cold water in the pot with the oil, salt, and bay leaves. Whisking vigorously with one hand, pour the polenta into the water in a thin steady stream (a spouted measuring cup is helpful here). Keep whisking until all the cornmeal is incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Turn on medium-low heat and gradually bring the polenta to a boil. This will take 10 minutes at least—don’t rush it. You can leave the pot for a couple of minutes, but stir frequently and thoroughly, especially the bottom, sides, and corners. As soon as you feel thickening, use a sturdy wooden spoon in place of the whisk, so you can scrape the polenta from the corners and mix it in.
Step 2
The polenta will become very thick as it gets close to the boil; then big bubbles will rise and burst in (and out of) the pot. At this point, lower the heat to get a continuous but slow perking—just a couple of bubbles at a time. Set a cover ajar on top, so polenta doesn’t pop all over the stove. Because of its density, spatters can easily burn you, so be careful.
Step 3
Cook the polenta at this rate for another 25 to 35 minutes, stirring frequently, and adjusting heat as necessary. Stir more continuously near the end, scraping up the thickest polenta from the bottom and corners.
Step 4
When the polenta is glossy and just pulling away from the sides, it is done and you may turn off the heat. Or cook it longer, slowly, for more flavor; mix in more water if you want it softer, or turn up the heat, stirring vigorously, to thicken it. Polenta retains heat for up to 30 minutes, so you can cover the pot and leave it for 15 minutes or so before serving. As it cools, it will form a crust on top. To prevent, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the polenta.
Finishing the Polenta
Step 5
Stir 1 to 2 cups of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano into the pot after you have turned off the heat. If you want more flavor at this point, you can mix in a stick of butter or 1/2 cup of mascarpone cheese also.
Step 6
Ladle 1 to 2 cups of hot polenta into each warm bowl and top with more Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano, either grated or in shavings.
Simple Variations for Basic Polenta
Step 7
Basic Polenta with Leeks
Step 8
Cut up into approximately 1-inch pieces enough leeks to fill 3 cups. After the polenta has perked for about 10 minutes, stir in the leeks and let them cook right in the pot. Alternatively, sauté the leeks separately, and fold them in for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Top each serving with Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano, grated or in shavings.
Step 9
Basic Polenta with Bacon
Step 10
You’ll need 1 pound thick-sliced bacon. Stack the slices and cut them crosswise into lardoons, or matchstick strips about 1/4 inch thick. Fry them over medium-high heat in a skillet, stirring and separating, until dark and crispy; then lift them out with a slotted spatula and let the fat drain off. Fold the bacon into the polenta, off heat, along with a cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano. Top each serving with more cheese, either grated or in shavings. If you like, save some bacon for decoration on top.
Step 11
Basic Polenta with Cheese
Step 12
Cut a semihard cheese like Montasio or cheddar into 1/2-inch cubes. Stir into the cooked polenta, off the heat, with 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano. Top each serving with more cheese, either grated or in shavings.
Step 13
To flavor with gorgonzola, stir in the cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano. Then crumble gorgonzola over each serving.
A Breakfast Treat: A Golden Bowl—Polenta and An Egg Yolk
Step 14
The enormous residual heat of polenta is sufficient, as the saying goes, “to cook an egg.” Do just that to make this treat for breakfast or brunch.
Step 15
Prepare Basic Polenta finished with freshly grated cheese, or in one of the simple variations. For every golden bowl, separate an egg and keep the yolk whole in a dish. Ladle a portion of steaming polenta into a warm bowl; press with a spoon to make a small nest. Slide the yolk into the nest. It will cook as you garnish it with freshly ground black pepper and surround it with Parmigiano-Reggiano, either grated or in shavings. To eat, stir the yolk into the polenta and really enjoy this dish.
Step 16
The crowning glory of this dish is a shaving of fresh truffles on top of it all.
