Rich Polenta, or Polenta Grassa: As happens elsewhere in northern Italy, Polenta was and is one of the standard dishes enjoyed in Val D'Aosta, and it helped many families survive the winters back when isolation was a serious problem. Polenta Grassa is something else, however, a rich feast-day dish that the cook "started working on early in the morning," writes Luciana Faletto Landi in La Cucina Tradizionale della Valle D'Aosta...
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 90 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 pound (500 g) coarse grained corn meal
- A quart (1 liter) of whole milk
- A toma weighing 1/2 pound or more (depending upon how rich you want it, a brie might work well as a substitute), diced
- 1/2 cup clarified butter, melted
- Coarse marine salt
Preparation:
"...Using equal parts water and milk, with quite a bit of melted butter, and taking care to end up with a polenta that's quite soft. When it was done, they added diced toma (soft goat or cow's milk cheese; one could substitute a brie for it if need be), and then turned it into a big, well buttered copper pot. The pot went over the coals, covered, and when they got home from mass they'd be greeted by a delight with a golden brown crust." The dish, with variations in the cheeses used, is common throughout the Italian-facing Alpine valleys, under a variety of names. "Plain polenta isn't something to get excited about," says Ms. Landi, "but Polenta Grassa is fit for a King."
Her instructions, though interesting, aren't precise. Mr. Vietti, on the other hand, says the quantities above will serve 4. Combine the milk with a quart of water in a pot, bring it to a boil, salt it with a good pinch of salt (you can add more if need be, so don't overdo it), then stir in the corn meal, being brisk to avoid the formation of lumps. Stir in the clarified butter and continue to cook the polenta over a medium flame, stirring all the while, until it begins to pull away from the sides of the pot (this will take an hour or more). Stir in the diced cheese, and if you want to go overboard (his words), some grated Parmigiano.
This, with a good zesty red wine along the lines of a Dolcetto, and a salad with lots of wild greens, will make a tasty modern-style one-course lunch. In Val D'Aosta it was the beginning of the feast.
Her instructions, though interesting, aren't precise. Mr. Vietti, on the other hand, says the quantities above will serve 4. Combine the milk with a quart of water in a pot, bring it to a boil, salt it with a good pinch of salt (you can add more if need be, so don't overdo it), then stir in the corn meal, being brisk to avoid the formation of lumps. Stir in the clarified butter and continue to cook the polenta over a medium flame, stirring all the while, until it begins to pull away from the sides of the pot (this will take an hour or more). Stir in the diced cheese, and if you want to go overboard (his words), some grated Parmigiano.
This, with a good zesty red wine along the lines of a Dolcetto, and a salad with lots of wild greens, will make a tasty modern-style one-course lunch. In Val D'Aosta it was the beginning of the feast.
