Polenta is a dish native to beautiful Northern Italy. Initially, it is a simple, peasant food that has become a common side dish over time, even in expensive restaurants. It is prepared from corn grits, getting a bright, slightly sweetish, but very tasty dish.
Such a different polenta
Any polenta is prepared from three basic, indispensable ingredients - ground corn, liquid and salt. At the same time, the variety of different varieties of this dish is amazing, and it's not even a matter of additional products with which this very neutral in taste food is perfectly combined. The taste of polenta depends on the grinding of flour, sometimes more like small grains, on what it is boiled on - water, broth, on a mixture of one or the other with white wine, on milk. Polenta can be made tender and creamy, or you can brew a rougher version that should be chilled, baked and sliced.
Gentle Creamy Polenta Recipe
The cooking time for polenta depends on the grinding of the grain. The coarse grits can be cooked for about an hour, the finest grind is used for practically "instant" preparation of polenta - 5-8 minutes is enough for it. To make tender, creamy polenta, take:
- 1 glass of medium-sized cereals;
- 3 ½ glasses of water;
- 1 teaspoon of salt.
Take a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring 2 ½ cups of water to a boil over medium heat. In a bowl, combine polenta grits and salt. Take a whisk, add 1 cup of cold water to the cereal and whisk lightly. This step will prevent the rump from forming lumps later on.
Slowly and gently add this mixture to the boiling water, whisking the contents of the pan constantly with a whisk. Continue whisking until the polenta is boiling again. Reduce heat to low and cook the polenta for an additional 15-20 minutes depending on grind and package directions. Stir often if you want a softer, airy polenta. If you want dense polenta, stir less often.
You can add 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley and basil and 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves to the finished polenta. Sometimes Italians put chopped fresh sage leaves in polenta. If you want to add shredded prosciutto ham or grated cheese such as Parmesan, Fontina, or Cheddar to the polenta, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe.
Fried and baked polenta
To sauté polenta, cook the steep porridge as described in the previous recipe. Transfer it to a baking dish. Cool slightly, cover with foil and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours. Cut the frozen polenta into pieces and fry in melted butter in a skillet. Fry over medium heat until golden brown.
It is fashionable to bake the cooled polenta that has stood in the refrigerator overnight. To do this, place the dish in an oven preheated to 170 ° C and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and cut into slices.
