Delicious polenta. Polenta - what is it: recipes for dishes made from corn grits. Recipe for Italian polenta with cheese

Polenta is a very popular dish today. Italian cuisine. It is very simple to prepare and will definitely appeal to those who love corn porridge, because essentially it is a thick, dense corn porridge, cut into cubes. Very often, polenta is supplemented with cheese, herbs, vegetables and mushrooms, poured with olive oil with aromatic additives and all kinds of sauces. Polenta can be served as an appetizer, spread with some kind of pate, but most often it is served as a side dish for meat dishes. It turns out very satisfying and nutritious!

Ingredients

• 150 grams corn flour
• 600 ml water
• a little salt

To prepare polenta, it is best to choose medium or finely ground corn grits, since coarse ones will take a long time to cook and will not create a characteristic homogeneous structure.

How to cook polenta

To prepare polenta, take cereal and water in a ratio of 1: 4. Boil water in a small saucepan with a thick bottom, adding a pinch of salt. When the water boils, add corn grits. Stir the cereal so that there are no lumps. Cook the polenta, stirring occasionally, over low heat. At first it will gurgle.

But very soon the cereal will absorb water and turn into a thick porridge.

Continuing to stir the polenta, cook it for 30-35 minutes. The porridge should begin to stick to the walls and even burn a little - do not try to scrape off the stuck layer. The polenta itself will become very thick: if you move it to one side of the pan, it should not spread.

Line a small rectangular tin with baking paper and spoon the polenta into the tin. Small plastic food trays are quite suitable for this.

Firmly compact and level the polenta so that there are no voids inside.

Then cover the cereal and place it in the refrigerator until it is completely cool. During this time, the polenta will set, become even denser and keep its shape. Remove the polenta from the tray and cut into 1cm thick pieces.

Place these pieces on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Place the polenta in the oven, preheated to 200-220 degrees for 5-10 minutes. You can put it under the grill - then it will have delicious golden brown edges.

Place a few sticks of polenta on a plate in a stack, and before serving, you can top it with any sauce or vegetable oil.

Among the many Italian treasures that have become public property are culinary ones. Risotto, pasta, pizza, polenta - the most resounding “roll call” of Italian cuisine. In this list of celebrities, polenta has a special place. Transformed from a poor man's porridge into gourmet dish, in other gourmet restaurants it is estimated at a shocking amount, although the ingredients are the same as in the old one village recipe. However, at the same time it is also the most democratic dish that can be found in any Italian trattoria*.

*a type of restaurant where there is no menu, but you are offered what is prepared.

Polenta: a short culinary dossier

Polenta is a dish made from corn flour, a type of thick porridge, a side dish or independent dish, if served with additives in the form of meat, anchovies, etc. Most common in the northern regions of Italy. Analogues of polenta: hominy (Romania), gomi (Georgia), kachamak (Serbia). There is very thick polenta that can be cut with a knife, and there is soft and sweet polenta.

Polenta has been known since at least the 16th century. To be fair, it should be said that long before Columbus brought corn to Italy, a similar porridge was cooked based on chopped chestnuts, peas, buckwheat, millet, and all this was called polenta. But after the expansion of corn cobs into the northern provinces of Italy, the history of polenta began a new countdown.

Corn polenta is porridge, bread, and pasta, in general, what the peasants of Lombardy, Piedmont and other northern regions began and ended their day with. Arrogant southerners nicknamed them polentoni (polenta eaters), receiving in response from their northern cousins ​​an equally caustic one - maccheroni (pasta).

Each region has added its own twist to the polenta recipe, mostly out of a desire to make this simple dish even more delicious. Even if you don’t have the temperament of an Italian chef, you can experiment in your own kitchen and learn everything, as they say, by experience.

How to cook corn polenta: important details

The quality of your polenta depends on the quality of your flour. This dish should be smooth and creamy as cooking will completely dissolve any starch particles. This effect cannot be achieved with cheap low-grade flour; larger particles do not completely dissolve, leaving consumers with an unpleasant “sandy feeling in the mouth.”

But that's not all. Experts advise: to make polenta soft, use 3 parts water and 1 part corn flour, plus 40-50 minutes of constant stirring over low heat. All other cooking methods are considered frivolous deviations from firmly established rules.

“Historical” technology involves the use of copper utensils - a cauldron in which the porridge is cooked, and a frying pan in which the finished porridge is fried, however, the latter is not necessary. Once upon a time, this process was not complete without a special polenta pot, Paiolo, hanging over the hearth and a long wooden spoon known as a Tarello.

On modern kitchen it is enough to have a good heavy pan with a thick bottom and cornmeal or, if you're lucky, a package of polenta instant cooking. Although the cooking work is not as painstaking as it used to be, corn polenta still requires attention and occasional stirring.

Basic polenta recipe

• 1.5 glasses of water
• half cup yellow cornmeal
• salt to taste

Big photos Small photos

ON A NOTE

If you don't have copper cookware, which is likely the case, use a thick-walled cast iron pan.

If corn flour is unavailable, you can replace it with corn grits. It's worse, but acceptable. Stirring is not canceled in this case either, but readiness occurs earlier - usually after 20-25 minutes. If you are using a package of polenta, cook according to the instructions.

Cooking and serving options

The key to polenta's popularity is its versatility. Cornmeal polenta can transform like Cinderella: it looks like a village simpleton - it’s just corn porridge! - it appears in the form of elegantly tailored quenelles from the chef of Grande cuisine.

In Italy, soft, warm polenta often replaces bread during meals, or is served instead of pasta, with cheese and truffle oil.

Polenta can also be served as a contorno (side dish) with original meat dishes, such as Osso Buco - meat shank stewed in wine, as well as lamb or rabbit meat. In Venice, corn polenta is a mandatory accompaniment to all fish dishes.

Due to the homogeneous structure of the finished polenta, it can be easily divided into pieces in the form of briquettes. They are heated in the oven or microwave, and a piece of feta is placed on top or spread cream cheese, completing the structure with pickled sweet peppers for piquancy. Want something more original? Place thin slices of lard on top of the polenta.

Another option for the oven: grate Parmigiano Reggiano and layer it with several improvised “cakes” of cooled polenta, folding them into a cake, then quickly bake - what’s not a snack Napoleon?

Polenta does great on the grill; The pieces of polenta browned in this way are placed on a slice of fresh bruschetta, similar to the traditional filling of mushrooms and tomatoes.

You can do even easier with leftover polenta. Without additional hassle, fry in a frying pan in butter, sprinkling with any hard cheese at the end.
Sweet polenta is eaten for breakfast, dipping small pieces into coffee with milk or cappuccino.

For the recipe with photos, see below.

Using corn flour you can prepare very tasty and hearty dish called polenta. This is both porridge and pie in one. It is very tasty to serve polenta with sour cream, vegetable cheese or meat sauce. The dish is very similar to hominy, but is most often made from corn grits. Due to this, its consistency is more grainy and loose.

Polenta is usually prepared from fine corn flour, thereby giving the finished porridge a dense and uniform consistency. When cooled, polenta thickens greatly, turning into something like a pie. Polenta is very common in Italy, where it was originally considered a porridge for the poor.

Ready-made frozen polenta can be cut into pieces and fried or baked with cheese and it is very tasty. Nutritionists recommend eating dishes made from corn grits and flour, because... They do not contain gluten, which means they are hypoallergenic. High nutritional value corn makes polenta a very healthy dish.

To prepare polenta, you will need thick-walled, non-stick cookware. I use a cast iron cauldron for these purposes. Buy a package of cornmeal or polenta from the store.

The proportion is as follows: take 3 parts water for 1 part flour. Cook the porridge over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula. During the cooking process, I beat the porridge with an immersion blender to break the remaining lumps into a homogeneous mass.

Composition by product:

• 1 cup corn flour;
• 3 glasses of water;
• 1 tsp heaped salt;
• 1-2 tbsp. butter.

This polenta recipe can easily be made vegan by replacing the butter with olive oil.

How to cook polenta (step by step instructions)

Pour water into a saucepan or cast iron, add salt, and place on medium heat. Add the flour in a thin stream and begin to stir gently using a wooden spoon or spatula. Our goal is to stir all the lumps and achieve complete dissolution of the flour in the water. You can also use an immersion blender.

As soon as the water and flour boil, immediately reduce the heat to low and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring. 15 minutes before the end of cooking, add butter or olive oil. By the end of cooking, the polenta should thicken considerably.

Transfer the finished polenta to a bowl or mold and leave to cool at room temperature. Once the dish has completely cooled, you can put it in the refrigerator and store it for 2-3 days. cling film or a lid.

When serving, heat a piece of polenta in the microwave, add sour cream, sauces or vegetables to taste. Bon appetit!

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How to cook polenta? How to submit it? How to make a rich snack from “poor” porridge? We will consider all these culinary issues in this article.
Recipe contents:

Among the many Italian culinary treasures, many dishes are universal treasures: pizza, risotto, pasta, polenta. This is the most ringing “roll call” of Italian dishes. In this famous list, a special place is occupied by polenta, which has evolved from a poor man's porridge into a gourmet dish. In gourmet restaurants, the dish costs a considerable amount. However, this dish is both democratic and rich.

Cooking polenta: subtleties and secrets

Polenta is a dish made from corn flour. This is a thick porridge, a side dish or an independent dish. It is served on its own or with additives: meat, anchovies, fish, seafood, etc. The quality of polenta depends on the quality of flour. The dish should be creamy and smooth because... When cooked, the starch dissolves completely. Cheap, low-grade flour will not give such a result, and larger particles will not completely dissolve.

• To make polenta soft, use 1 part corn flour to 3 parts water.
• Cook the dish over low heat for 40-50 minutes, stirring constantly.
• “Historical” technology involves the use of copper utensils for cooking polenta.
• The readiness of the porridge is determined when the mass lags behind the walls of the pan. Then it’s time to remove it from the stove.
• Cornmeal can be white or yellow. But yellow is used more often.
• It is advisable to give preference to coarse flour, then the dish will be more healthy. Fine grinding will result in a more delicate porridge with a creamy texture.
• To serve polenta, pour it into a bowl moistened cold water. Leave to stand for 10 minutes, then put on a plate.
• The remaining polenta is kept in the refrigerator under plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
• If you need thick porridge for frying, then place it on a greased baking sheet 1.2 cm thick and leave until thickened or bake at 175°C until it warms up.
• Cut the thick polenta into squares using a pizza cutter or a regular kitchen knife.
• Before slicing, it is kept for some time in hot water.
• To avoid lumps, flour is slowly poured into boiling water, stirring constantly. More easy way To avoid the formation of lumps - pour corn flour into cold water, whisk quickly, and then bring to a boil.
• If the polenta is burnt on the bottom, transfer it to another pan without scraping the burnt bottom and continue cooking. At the same time, it is stirred often.
• Remove the lumpy polenta from the stove, knead the lumps, and beat vigorously with a mixer.
• Soft, warm polenta can replace bread during meals.

You can prepare polenta in a variety of ways. But the simplest is water with added salt. For more delicious and healthy porridge use yellow or white flour, and the thick consistency is coarsely ground.

• Calorie content per 100 g - 87 kcal.
• Number of servings - 4
• Cooking time - 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• Water - 3 l
• Corn grits - 1 tbsp.
• Salt - to taste

Step-by-step preparation:

1. Boil salted water in a saucepan.
2. Gradually add corn grits, stirring constantly.
3. Once it comes back to a boil and bubbles form, reduce the heat.
4. Continue cooking the cereal for 30 minutes, stirring constantly. If necessary, add water or add porridge.
5. When the mass lags behind the walls of the pan, the dish is ready.
6. Transfer the mixture to a tray, shape into the desired shape and leave to cool.

The original and classic polenta recipe is very simple. The main thing is to follow the technology and consistency of the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Yellow corn flour - 0.5 tbsp.
• Drinking water - 1.5 tbsp.
• Salt - to taste

Step-by-step preparation:

1. Boil water in a thick-bottomed saucepan to prevent the porridge from burning.
2. Gradually add cornmeal, stirring with a wooden spoon.
3. Add salt and stir.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil again, stirring constantly.
5. Reduce the heat to low and cook the food for 30 minutes, remembering to stir.
6. When the porridge begins to lag behind the walls, freely separate from the bottom and form a crust on the walls of the pan, it means it is ready. The consistency of the polenta should be smooth and creamy.
7. Place the Italian delicacy on a cutting board, shape into a rectangle and refrigerate.

About the famous Italian dish Under the name “polenta” they say that it can transform itself, like Cinderella in Charles Perrault’s fairy tale: during the day it is a simple country dish, in the evening it is an exquisite culinary masterpiece. The main thing in it is corn flour. The key to success is adherence to the technology of working with this product, which is not the most common product for Russians, and, of course, a creative approach.

So what is polenta, what grain is used in its preparation, and how to properly prepare an Italian dish made from corn flour at home?

A little history

The idea belongs to the ancient Romans- It was they who began to prepare the “pulse” porridge, which later became the prototype of polenta.

The difference between the two foods is that Pulse was cooked from millet, chickpeas, barley, and polenta was made from corn, which became available to Europeans only at the end of the 16th century, when its grains were brought to the Old World from America.

For a long time it was the food of the poor– wandering monks, peasants. They cooked it in a large copper cauldron, stirring carefully so that, once it thickened, the porridge did not drip from the wooden stirrer.

Later, other products were added to corn(seafood, cheese, vegetables, mushrooms) - and the food of the poor migrated to the tables of wealthy citizens. Today it is prepared in home kitchens, restaurants, and taverns.

This is an independent dish with various additives or a side dish.. It can be hard or soft, intended for first and second courses or desserts (in this case, sugar is added to it).

Among the modern varieties is instant polenta, the base for which is produced industrially by steaming and then drying the crushed grains. This semi-finished product takes only two minutes to cook.

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Traditions of eating corn porridge, its benefits and harms

Polenta in its pure form is most often prepared at home, for breakfast.. One of traditional options– cut it into slices and eat it, dipping it into a cup of cappuccino.

In cafes it is usually served (as a main dish) with sauce, of which there are a great many options. Fish dishes, as well as the Italian classic Osso Buco - meat stewed in wine, cannot do without polenta (already as a side dish).

Very often, polenta cut into slices replaces bread for Italians or (in this case it is supplemented with truffle oil and cheese).

It's good cold or hot(this version is considered a traditional winter food in Italy), grainy in texture and soft like cream.

When consuming this product at dinner, it is advisable to limit the portion, since it is high in calories: 100 g of Italian corn “porridge” has 330 kcal.

How to cook at home

There are many ways to prepare this dish.

So that it turns out tasty, regardless of the recipe, You need to know a few rules on how to cook polenta:

• traditional ratio of components- 1 part corn flour to 3 parts water (it is changed depending on how dense the product needs to be in the end);
• cooking time over low heat - from 40 to 50 minutes;
• if corn flour is replaced with cereal, which is allowed, the cooking time is reduced to 20-25 minutes;
• stir constantly with a long wooden spoon;
• You need thick-walled dishes (for example, cast iron).

How to choose ingredients in the store

Without high-quality flour, even the most experienced housewife will not be able to create a delicious meal.. The secret of corn flour is that during the cooking process, starch particles dissolve and the finished “porridge” even visually looks creamy, smooth, and you can find out how good it tastes from its many fans.

What happens if the flour is of poor quality, cheap or adulterated? Large particles do not dissolve completely, creating a feeling of “sand in the mouth”.

To avoid such troubles, you need to buy the product in large stores that cooperate with reliable manufacturers, and if you’re lucky, buy real Italian flour.

The word “bramata” on the label means coarse flour, “stone-ground” means that it was ground using stone millstones, thanks to which all its ingredients are preserved in the product. beneficial features.

Classic cooking recipe

This recipe is based on the ratio of one and a half glasses of water to half a glass of flour..

Carefully pour flour in small portions into hot but not yet boiling water. while stirring the contents of the pan. Salt to taste. Cook, continuing to stir, for half an hour.

The following signs indicate readiness: the mass will separate well from the walls and bottom, and where it comes into contact with hot surfaces, crusts will form.

It is allowed (if the thickness of the product seems excessive) to add a small amount of hot water from the kettle. After this, cooking continues.

The finished mass is laid out on a board and, after waiting for it to cool, cut into slices or give it some other necessary form.

With cheese

The recipe differs from the classic one in that, after removing the pan from the heat with almost ready-made food, additional components are introduced into it.

If it took 2.5 cups of flour and 9 cups of water to prepare “porridge”, then for addition you need to take:

• grated Parmesan cheese - one and a half cups;
• milk – one and a half cups;
• butter – 10 tablespoons;
• finely chopped parsley.

Additional foods should be at room temperature. When they are placed in the corn mush and stirred, the butter and cheese should melt.

With milk

Polenta is prepared according to classic recipe . Then it is transferred to a wet board. It is leveled and cut into pieces. You can use molds if you want the food to be more original.

Pieces of “porridge” are laid out on plates and poured with hot milk.

With mushrooms

The corn mass prepared according to the classic recipe is transferred to a baking sheet, its layer should not be thicker than one centimeter.

Fry in a separate frying pan onion and mushrooms, two minutes before readiness, add a little garlic, pour in ¾ cup of dry wine and simmer. During this time, most of the alcohol should boil away.

Add melted butter to a small portion of flour and mix until the mass becomes homogeneous and resembles a paste in consistency. It is added to mushrooms. Add a handful of finely chopped parsley there.

Cut the polenta into small squares, top each with warm mushroom ragout and serve.

In a slow cooker

Many housewives enjoy cooking porridge in a slow cooker– you don’t need to watch them closely so that they don’t run away, and you don’t need to stir them constantly. Italian food is also quite easy to prepare in a slow cooker.

The same ingredients are placed in the bowl as in the classic recipe., stir so that there are no lumps, cook in the “cook-porridge” mode for 40 minutes. If installation is required temperature regime, choose 90 degrees.

After the signal about the completion of work, the contents of the bowl must be mixed and transferred to a bowl, in which it cools a little, and then tip it onto a board and cut it.

Polenta seems to be created for creative people who like to add something unusual to the classic recipe. This is how alternative options are born. Here are some of them.

With pumpkin

It comes out well from pear-shaped squash.

To prepare this dish you will need:

• instant polenta – 2 cups,
• pumpkin - 700 g,
• water – 2.5 l,
• cheese durum varieties– 1.5 cups,
• butter and olive oil.

The wide part of the vegetable is baked in the oven and mashed into puree. The narrow part of the pumpkin is cut into slices and laid out on two baking sheets, covered with foil and sent to the oven.

Cook instant polenta in a large saucepan. At the final stage, they introduce into it pumpkin puree, butter and grated cheese. Fill a baking dish with this mixture, line it and cover it with a layer of pumpkin slices, arranging them like fish scales.

Place a little butter on top, sprinkle with grated cheese, put in the oven for a quarter of an hour.

With spinach

For this dish you need:

• polenta – 1 cup,
• spinach – 450 g,
• cheese – 110 g,
• garlic,
• olive oil.

This recipe also uses instant polenta. Once cooked, fill a glass baking dish with it. Separately, spinach is stewed in a frying pan with a small amount of garlic. And slices of cheese are fried on the grill, a crispy crust should form on both sides.