Polenta

Originating in the north of the Italy, of the County of Nice, the Savoy and the Romania, the polenta (or polente ) is presented in the form of wafer or of pulp containing Semoule or Farine of Maïs.

Nature or creamy, it can be been useful hot, cooked with the bubble or milk or out of wafers returned to the frying pan.

Description

The semolina is yellower, more granulous than the flour, whiter (Veneto). It can be blacker, when one adds to it flour of Sarrazin (Lombardy). Grinding is variable from one area to another. Consistency, more or less thick, too.

History

The word “polenta” was already known Romains, at which it indicated a pulp of barley flour. It is to attach to the other Latin words “sweaters” (= pulp of flour) and “pollen” (= flower of flour). Epicure declared satisfied " as Jupiter if one gives him polenta and eau".

Use

In Italy, the polenta being characteristic of the kitchen of North, the pejorative term of Polentoni is given to Italian of North, by those of the South, qualified, them, of Terroni.

Each area has its particuliere preparation. In the area of Bergamo, the polenta often rough, yellow, and is accompanied by sausages or a sprinkled ruail of its juice (" polenta with the usei"). In the Veneto, the polenta is prepared in advance with white flour, then cut out in rectangles and heated with the poële. In the Macerate, the preparation is more liquid. In the Valley of aoste or the Trentin, it is added with cheese. Sometimes of meat or even of potatoes.

In France, it is often consumed in its traditional form in the feasts of village of the high-country niçois and in Savoy. Cooked with water, it is decorated of butter, cheese or tomato sauce.

The use of cornstarch is however not an obligation: in Corsica, the polenta (“pulenda”) is generally made with flour of Châtaigne.

The preparation is done traditionally in a copper cauldron. One uses a spoon of wood to prevent that the preparation does not attach during cooking, rather long. Sometimes, one uses a branch which one removed the bark and to which one left the birth of 4 branches, and who is also used to agitate milk during the preparation of cheese.

Current food industry proposes polentas précuites today, more rapids to be prepared with a time of 5 minutes cooking instead of the 45 minutes traditionally.

Nutritional contributions

Like other food made containing cereals, this corn semolina is mainly made up of Glucide S satisfying complexes (75%) which is diffused slowly in the organization. To the level of the vitamins, it brings vitamins B in particular of the Vitamine B9.

Receipts

Savoyard Polenta

Ingredients for 6 people

300 G of polenta large (corn semolina)
100 G of plugs
3 shallots
30 G of butter
1 L of bubble
1/2 milk L
150 G of Beaufort cut in plates
Salt, pepper

Préparation

Make heat the bubble.
During this time, make return the polenta, the shallots and the plugs in butter.
Add Beaufort, milk and the bubble and make cook with soft fire during 30 min while stirring up constantly.
to be tasted with Diots cooked with the white wine and a Wine of Savoy.

Sweet chestnut Polenta (Corsica) pulenda castagnina

Ingredients for 6 people

1,5 kg of flour of Sweet chestnut S
1,5 water L
a Brocciu fresh
Figatelli
eggs fresh
Wild boar
salt.

Préparation

Make boil the salt water and, during this time:
Filter the sweet chestnut flour
To the first bubble, pour the flour and water it with a stick of dry chestnut to avoid the formation of grumeaux,
Faites to cook with soft fire until obtaining a thick pulp (30 to 45 minutes). The pulenda is ready when it forms a ball and that it is detached from with dimensions from the pan,
to leave It then out of fire while continuing to mix it, to put sweet chestnut flour on the edges of the container,
to give It on fire until it inflates,
Renversez then the contents on a towel powdered with flour, then cut out in section (feta) using a wire,
Servir with fresh cheese (or fresh brocciu), roasted figatelli, wild boar and eggs with the dish.

And if there remain to you fetas, the following day make roast them with the furnace or fry with the frying pan and eat them with fresh cheese…

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