Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1/2 cup (65 g / 2 1/4 oz.) stone-ground cornmeal
• 1/2 cup (75 g / 2 3/4 oz.) stone-ground buckwheat flour
• 4 cups cold water [see Note below]
• A bit of salt
• Cheese of choice, to taste, cut into small pieces or grated, depending on consistency

Instructions

Note: The polenta I obtain from this recipe is fairly soft. If you want a firmer version, decrease the amount of water. Keep in mind that polenta becomes firmer as it cools.

Pour the cold water into a saucepan and add a bit of salt. Slowly add the cornmeal and then the buckwheat flour in a thin stream, while whisking to mix. The pan then goes over medium heat. As soon as the water reaches boiling point, turn down the heat to low. Keep stirring with the whisk until the polenta becomes thick, at which point you may want to switch to a wooden spoon as stirring implement.

Cook the polenta for at least 50 minutes (I usually cook it a few minutes longer). During that time, stir often to prevent the polenta from sticking to the bottom of the pan and to avoid the build-up of steam that results in small volcanic explosions. You don’t need to obsess over the pan, though.

Traditional polenta taragna includes butter (burro) and local cheese (formaggio). I omit the butter, preferring a lighter dish, but I do add cheese. I have been making cheese at home for some time, so I shop from my little stash and I like to experiment with different cheeses. Depending on the consistency of the cheese I choose, I cut it into small pieces or grate it. Sometimes, I mix two different cheeses. I don’t weigh or otherwise measure the cheese. However, one day that I made this polenta, I paid attention and I know that I used 2 oz of aged Asiago cheese, grated. If I use a softer cheese, I am sure I use a bit more. While I do like to taste the cheese, I try to get a balanced flavor, so the polenta can work well as a side dish.

Add the chosen cheese to the polenta at the end of the cooking time, and stir to incorporate it. Taste and, if necessary, add more cheese. Serve immediately. If using cheese cut into small pieces, the bits that don’t melt completely will make for a pleasant tasting experience.

My take on polenta taragna works nicely as a side dish to a variety of vegetarian and meat entrées. When I cook polenta for our binary household, I always have leftovers, which I spoon into a square container: this makes it easy to cut the cold polenta into even-sized slices. When I want to reheat it, I spray a cast-iron skillet with some olive oil, and when it is warm, deposit slices of polenta in it, then cook on both sides. If done properly, the polenta slices will have a thin crust that adds to the pleasure of eating leftovers. And if the crust sticks to the skillet, it will come off shortly afterwards, and provide you with a crispy treat. (Doing the latter on purpose is allowed.)

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