Polenta Taragna
A rich polenta of maize and buckwheat flour stirred with butter and two cheeses, cooked for 50 minutes and served from the pot.
Photograph credit: Polenta Taragna by Corrado Forino · CC BY 2.0 · Flickr
It looks like ordinary polenta and eats like a fondue, which is the difference buckwheat and cheese make. Polenta taragna comes from the Alpine valleys of Lombardy, where buckwheat flour is mixed with maize meal for a darker, nuttier mash.
The flours go into boiling salted water in a thin stream, whisking all the while so there are no lumps. Then it is cooked on a low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring often, until the polenta pulls away from the side of the pan. Do not rush it, as undercooked polenta tastes gritty. Add hot water if it gets too thick.
Stir in a large knob of butter and two cheeses: a nutty alpine cheese such as Fontina and a little Parmesan. Taste for salt after the cheese goes in. Serve it from the pot in deep bowls with sausage, mushrooms or a braise, and eat it hot, because it sets firm as it cools.
Polenta Taragna: Step by Step
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Bring the water and salt to the boil in a heavy pan.
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Mix the polenta and buckwheat flour and pour them in a thin stream, whisking all the time.
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Turn the heat low and cook for 45 minutes, stirring often, adding a splash of hot water if it gets too thick.
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Stir in the butter, Fontina and Parmesan until melted.
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Season with the pepper and taste for salt. Serve hot.
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A Few Pointers
- Pour the flour in a thin stream, whisking.
- Stir often over low heat for a smooth texture.
- Taste for salt after the cheese goes in.
What to Serve With It
Pork sausages · Mushroom ragu · Braised beef · Greens
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Tuscan Panzanella, Ciabatta, Citrus Fennel Salad.
Keeping and Reheating
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Slice and fry the cold polenta.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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