Ingredients: Polenta

Polenta

The so-called "cornmeal staple of Italian country cooking," Polenta is (along with gnocchi) a quintessential Italian comfort food. Once regarded as rustic fare for the less wealthy classes, this pleasant maize mush has become a stylish addition to the menus of top Italian restaurants worldwide. In Italy, every region that produces corn has both its own particular method of grinding cornmeal for Polenta as well as its own particular corn varieties. Cornmeal can be ground less finely to form a thicker, coarser Polenta, or more finely for a smoother, silkier Polenta. The Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions prefer to use white cornmeal, while in Lombardy and Val d'Aosta buckwheat flour is added to the mix. The primary goal is to maximize taste while creating a harmonious balance in texture between Polenta and other ingredients.

In The Kitchen
A non-fat, no cholesterol food that is naturally high in fiber, Polenta makes a wonderful alternative to bread or other less dietetic carbs.
One of Italy's most versatile foods, Polenta can be firm or creamy, grilled or fried, or even allowed to solidify and then sautéed. Polenta can be eaten alone as a separate dish, or served as a side and paired with roast meats, fowl, mushrooms, or other vegetables. It often appears topped with a diversity of sauces or baked under layers of ragú. While still soft, Polenta will readily enfold a number of diced, sliced, or crumbled ingredients.

Cooking Tips
Cooking Polenta—much like cooking pasta—requires vigorously boiling water. Italians sometimes substitute broth for water, and will often stir a little butter, cream, milk, or grated cheese into the mixture to enhance Polenta's already creamy flavor. To fry, grill, or bake polenta, pour it (while hot) onto an oiled tray, level the top with a spatula, and let cool. Next, use a sharp knife or cookie cutter to cut the Polenta into whatever shape is desired-then fry, grill, or bake!
For additional cooking information, look for Perfect Polenta under Primer in the Food section.

Buying Tips
Look for packages of Polenta or cornmeal in local supermarkets and Italian specialty food stores. Recently ground Polenta—though a bit tougher to find—will prove the best tasting. If even the basic recipe for Polenta seems a trifle too scary, try your hand at instant "Polenta logs," readily available in supermarkets in both the United States and Italy. But, be certain all packaging is air-tight: if not, after long periods of storage, the Polenta may begin to develop a slight bitterness.