Polenta

Polenta is a traditional dish of Italian cuisine, originally made of chestnut flour, now usually with corn flour or cornmeal – you cane make it sweet or savory, for breakfast or as an addition to dinner.

In fact, this dish is known throughout the world under various names. As a „mamaliga” it occurs in the the South-Eastern Europe cuisine (Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine) and the Galician cuisine (popular in Lvov and in the south-eastern region of Poland ). In Southern Africa it is called Ugali and it is used in place of our potatoes. It used to be the basic food of the poor, partly because the flour and groats were one of the few things that were almost always accessible.

I stumbled upon the polenta while experimenting with Italian cuisine. My first attempts weren’t very successful, but when I discovered „cornmeal porridge” as a brilliant breakfast before my longruns, I returned to the polenta as well. It can be turned into a number of interesting dishes or side-dishes, it is fantastic as a savory addition to dinner, as a dessert, or sweet, energetic breakfast.

RECIPE

Poniżej przedstawiam przepis podstawowy na polentę. Jak szybko zobaczycie, łatwo go dostosować, w zależności od tego czy chcemy uzyskać wersję wytrawną czy słodki deser. Jak uformujemy polentę również zależy tylko od naszej wyobraźni.

INGREDIENTS:

• 200 g cornmeal
• 0,5 l water
• savory version: eg. oil/butter, salt, cheese (eg. Parmesan cheese)
• sweet version: eg. coconut oil, honey, milk

PREPARATION:

1. Boil water in a pot. Prepare a glass of boiling water in another pot, in case you need more.
2. Set medium flame and pour a stream of cornmeal, stirring constantly (preferably with a whisk).
3. Cook the cornmeal, stirring constantly to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot, for about 20-50 minutes.
   1. The longer you cook polenta, the more you remove the bitterness and intensify the taste. Consistency will thicken with time. When you have a very thick mass, similar in consistency to the dough, you can finish it up accordingly. *

* Polenta can be slightly diluted too look like  mashed potatoes or put on a baking sheet and left to cool (best in refrigerator) – this way it will be fit for cutting and further processing (grilling or frying).
* Dry version – at this time add fat (butter/oil), salt and parmesan cheese to polenta.
* Sweet version – part of the water can be replaced witl milk or  you can add unrefined coconut oil and/or honey. You can leave it neutral and add the appropriate additives later (jams, dried fruit and nuts, whipped cream)

ENERGY (100 g):  75 kcal

MACROS: C  15,6 g / P 1,7 g / F 0,3 g
/ Fiber 1 g /

Home Page