6490 Polenta

This is a much loved Italian food, also known as yellow cornmeal, coarsely ground; however, to cook it on top of the stove can prove demanding, as it requires long and constant stirring and the hot polent can spill and burn whoever is cooking it. Avoid having children in the kitchen at this preparation stage. Nevertheless, you can achieve the same results by using your microwave oven and it will only require stirring once during the entire cooking period (use a wooden spoon with a long handle).
Here is one of my favourite recipes.

POLENTA WITH GORGONZOLA

3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups "polenta"
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
300 g gorgonzola dolcelatta (cheese), outside edges discarded
1 1/4 cup double cream
100 g grated Parmesan cheese

Brush a 25 x 30 cm swiss roll tin lightly with oil.
Mix stock, cornmeal and seasonings together in a 2 litre deep dish. Cook, uncovered on high (100%) for 4 minutes. Stir thoroughly (careful!!!), cover with paper towelling and cook a further 3 minutes.
Remove from microwave oven and stir. It should be thick and creamt like porridge. Immediately pour into the prepared swiss roll tin. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to become completely cold (most important!!!).
Invert polenta on a cutting board and shake out. Cut into sticks (2 x 12 cm). You will get some 24 sticks.
Butter a 26 x 33 cm baking dish
Arrange polenta sticks in two rows leaving room between for the gorgonzola.
Cut gorgonzola into small pieces and place them between the polenta sticks.
Whisk cream and 2/3 of the Parmesan together with some freshly ground black pepper. Pour over the polenta.
Scatter remaining Parmesan over the top.
Dish can be prepared up to this stage several hours in advance.
Preheat griller on high.
Place the polenta dish uncovered for approximately 8 minutes. You can do this using the grill in your microwave oven.
Stand 5 minutes.
Enjoy!!! :wink:

Gala Placidia

Category

Food & Drink

Another easy Microwaved Polenta dish

POLENTA BREAD

1 cup flour
1 cup polenta (yellow cornmeal)
1 tablespoon baking powed
2 tablespoons sugar
dash mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 large can creamed corn
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
dash of paprika

Sift flour, polenta, baking powder, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Fold in creamed corn, beaten eggs and oil.
Grease a 4 cup mould. Coat with grated cheese and paprika. Pour in bread mix. Cook on medium 12 minutes, then a further 1 minute on high. Stand 5 minutes before inverting.

Enjoy:wink:

Gala Placidia

Thanks for those recipes gala.
I might need convincing though about making polenta in a microwave:err:
My relatives up in the Aosta valley consider the making of polenta an art form. One the were trying to teach me last summer with some success. Isn't it supposed to be the crust that forms in the pan while cooking that gives the polenta it's distinctive taste and does it hold together for cutting if done in the microwave or is it just for those particular dishes as I notice you cool it first.
I remeber slaving over the stufa with a large stick of juniper wood. was better than a trip to the gym and the end product was far tastier.
matt

My first impressions of polenta are not good, I had some deep fried polenta crostinni with a mushroom topping and did not like this, I then tried a little bit of my husbands which had some cheese in, (looked like grits from the USA) I did not like this either, maybe it’s an acquired taste. I think with me it may also be the texture, I don’t like gnocchi either.

Dawn.

[QUOTE=MattandCorrina;59513]
I might need convincing though about making polenta in a microwave:err:
My relatives up in the Aosta valley consider the making of polenta an art form. One the were trying to teach me last summer with some success. Isn't it supposed to be the crust that forms in the pan while cooking that gives the polenta it's distinctive taste and does it hold together for cutting if done in the microwave or is it just for those particular dishes as I notice you cool it first.
matt[/QUOTE]

Hi,
I started experimenting with microwaved polenta after being sick and tired of getting burns by cooking it on the stove. The results are very similar. The crust that forms in the pan can also be obtained by baking or frying the cold polenta. There are several recipes in which you alternate layers of cold, cooked polenta and grated cheese and the crusty top that forms is sublime.
The crust also develops after you deep-fry fingers or squares of cold polenta.This is called "polenta fritta" and there is a "sagra" of festival for this particular dish held in a small town in Lucca.
You always have to allow the cooked polenta to become completly cold before you attempt anything.... or you would have a disaster.
To cool the polenta takes quite a while as it tends to keep hot temperatures longer than you would anticipate. I usually allow it to cool overnight. Then it is very easy to handle.
I agree that to cook polenta on top of a stove is an art form; but you must use a very long handled wooden spoon, stir and stir... and try not to get burnt.
Happy cooking!

Gala Placidia

[QUOTE=Dawn;59515]My first impressions of polenta are not good, I had some deep fried polenta crostinni with a mushroom topping and did not like this, I then tried a little bit of my husbands which had some cheese in, (looked like grits from the USA) I did not like this either, maybe it’s an acquired taste. I think with me it may also be the texture, I don’t like gnocchi either.

Dawn.[/QUOTE]

Yes, Dawn. You could say it is an acquired taste. But it also depends on what you are eating with it. Just plain polenta is not very tasty. A good layer of cooked (and cooled) polenta covered by a layer of some sort of [I]ragú[/I], I make a very tasty one with tomato sauce, onions, minced meat, mushrooms, oven-baked and skinned red capsicum and a dash of white wine and then a layer of freshly grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled with some basil leaves is absolutely beautiful.
Another interesting way of cooking polenta, and this is a recipe given to me by a person from Puglia, is to boil some broccoli in about a litre of salted water and when the broccoli is cooked, always using a long-handled wooden spoon, you start pouring some polenta into the boiling water stirring everything until it starts blending. To give quantities here is a bit difficult as it depends on the amount of water left after the boiling process has taken place and how much polenta can the water absorb. I use the fast-cooking polenta as it is easier to control than the traditional variety. The polenta looses a bit of its own flavour but the broccoli goes beautifully with it. Once it is cooked to the right consistency, I allow it to cool and then put layers of the broccoli-polenta and some sauce like the one I described before, with minced meat or chicken, mushrooms, etc.
I guess that the kind of [I]gnocchi[/I] you don´t like is the Roman gnocchi, which are made of [I]semola di grano duro[/I]. Possibly, you will prefer the potato-based gnocchi. This leads me to believe that what you don't like is the texture of both [I]polenta[/I] and [I]semola[/I]. Food is not only flavour as texture is important too.
Happy cooking,

Gala Placidia

I'm with Dawn. It could taste like cherry pie but its that 'snotty' texture does me in. It is one of those taste buds say good, brain says bad things.

Gala
I might give it a go although not in front of Uncle Mario or I may end up minus knees. He grows his own mais (red and yellow and white) then takes it down to his friend who grinds it into flour for him. Brilliant stuff.
I like it with a nice helping of spezzatino or even on its own with fontina melted on after it has just cooked.
I think it depends on where you eat Polenta as to how you find it. I have eaten it over in Bergamo and it is completely different more like a porridge. Whereas up in the Aosta valley it's like a beautifully rounded cake just turned out onto a board and cut with a knife.
My only advice to anyone is never ever ever touch that dreadful thing they sell over here in vacuum packs they call polenta. Tasteless rubber.
I'm starving now!
Matt

To my mind polenta is a winter dish. The local Aosta dish is polenta concia - with Fontina - and just the thing for lunch at a mountain restaurant during a cold January day's skiing, or after a 3 hour walk in autumn.

Polenta and polenta 'taragna' are almost the staple winter diet in the the Valtellina. My 'personal' favourite as a garnish for fresh hot polenta is cervo in a rich gravy type sauce.

[B]BUT[/B]
even better is the way to serve the left over polenta the following day:rolleyes:

Place the left over polenta in the fridge overnight and then when ready to use it, cut it into small 3/4" cubes.

Put a good amount of butter in a large pan and fry the polenta until golden brown and 'almost' crispy. Remove from the pan and keep hot. Add butter to the pan and break in two eggs per person and fry them (as the Americans say) 'easy over' so the yolks remain soft/runny.

Serve each portion of polenta sprinkled [U]abundantly[/U] with grated parmesan and two fried eggs. Pour some of the hot butter over the polenta and cheese.

The [I]delight[/I] is to dip each piece of cheese covered polenta int the egg yolk and enjoy.... It is - after all only about 900,000 calories per serving!

[QUOTE=Carole B;59536]
The [I]delight[/I] is to dip each piece of cheese covered polenta int the egg yolk and enjoy.... It is - after all only about 900,000 calories per serving![/QUOTE]

Yes, yes, yes Carole! Thank you for reminding me of one way to serve polenta which I had almost forgotten... possibly because I am a national disaster when it comes to frying eggs. Mine are not edible at all! It's just one cooking technique which I have not been able to master, I don't know why. I will have to ask my husband to fry them for me.
Also agree on the amount of calories.... but.... they are divine calories.
Cheers!

Gala Placidia

[QUOTE=MattandCorrina;59529]Gala
I might give it a go although not in front of Uncle Mario or I may end up minus knees. He grows his own mais (red and yellow and white) then takes it down to his friend who grinds it into flour for him. Brilliant stuff.
Matt[/QUOTE]

Please, please, please Matt. Don't say anything to Uncle Mario regarding the microwaved polenta. He may "excommunicate" you, me and all the members in this forum. For him, it would be "heresy".

But it works and it is easy to prepare.

Cheers,

Gala Placidia

[QUOTE=liketheroman;59528]I'm with Dawn. It could taste like cherry pie but its that 'snotty' texture does me in. It is one of those taste buds say good, brain says bad things.[/QUOTE]

As I said before... texture is most important and it is frequently forgotten. I'm sure that we will find some other Italian dishes that you will simply adore.

Gala Placidia

[QUOTE=sueflauto;59534]To my mind polenta is a winter dish. The local Aosta dish is polenta concia - with Fontina - and just the thing for lunch at a mountain restaurant during a cold January day's skiing, or after a 3 hour walk in autumn.[/QUOTE]

I agree, it is not the kind of dish you would eat in the middle of summer.

Gala Placidia

Sue and Gala

I am totally in agreement it should be a winter dish. I think the family get over excited when we get over there in the summer and insist on showing the 'English' side of the family how good it is. Despite the fact I can still remember from Jan or Feb.
Sue I love polenta concia! Naughty zio once told me it's called concia because that is a word for old ladies and that is what it smells like! Rude rude man trying to take advantage of his stupid Englsih relative!:mad:
Gala it may be early in the morning but your mention of cervo has me longing for it now! I shall not mention microwave polenta to zio as I'm moving there in 8weeks (yipppppeeeee :biggrin: ) and i don't want ostracising beofre I set foot in the door :biggrin:
Zia also does a nice bit of goat to go with the polenta. As well as salsiccie and pepperoni.
Noiw I'm depressed as all I have the to look forward to is a Greggs pasty at lunch!
Nice thread
Matt

Matt,
I had a look at the Italian Cooking book I have written by Lorenza de Medici, one of the highest authorities in the Italian culinary arts, and she reckons that Polenta Concia is an original recipe from the Valle d'Aosta, although it can be found in many other places throughout Italy.
From what I know, Polenta and particularly Polenta Concia was the staple food for Italy's poorest people; however, it is excellent and is becoming now a sophisticated dish, served in the best restaurants throughout the world. Fried polenta crostini make an excellent base to accompany any dish. Hence its popularity
If you like Italian cooking, try to get some of the books written by Lorenza de Medici. A search through Amazon will give you lots of results.
I also managed to get a recipe for Polenta Concia, [url]www.italianmade.com/recipes/recipe[/url] 272
Concia, according to my dictionary means tanned or cured, but there could be colloquial expressions where the meaning is changed.
Enjoy!

Gala Placidia

Gala
I think I am going to be in need of just such cooking books. We move out to Italy at the end of June to the Aosta Valley and I am a little worried about having friends round for dinner. I'm not a bad cook and the missus is probably better but we don't tell her that. Only thing is I am very good at anything Thai/Indian/Malaysian but despite the fact friends think our Italian cooking is good I am worried it won't stand the test of our exacting Italian friends/relatives.:embarrassed: I would love to be able to cook just one thing that will knock their socks off and prove the English can cook!
As for polenta concia and old ladies I am sure that is just the warped sense of humour of old zio. You should hear some of the other things he has tried to make me ask for! He thinks it's funny that just because I can speak Italian and studied it at Uni he will pick the most obscure words and then change their meanings to embarass me!:eek:
Love these food threads.
M

Matt

I think they are a bit odd in that corner of Italy you are going to. I think you should rewatch the film 'the Wickerman' with Edward Woodward and reconsider.

I remember being in France where the difference between 'a joist' and 'a whore' is such a subtle twist on the 'r'. The builder's merchant was not prepared to sell me 12 big whores apparently.

Oh so very true
Can't even tell you on here what his description was for a very nice bottle of red wine he was trying to get me to ask the waiter for while the whole family is sittting in very upmarket restaurant.
Still he suppliies as much fresh veg and fruit as I need all summer long so maybe I can humour him once in a while!
Matt
How rude of the man not to sell you 12 big whores as well. Sure they probably did a sideline anyway:wink: