Instant Polenta

Polenta is a dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. It may be served as a hot porridge, or it may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled. It is a dish, not an ingredient, from northern Italy.

It refers to porridge or mush now made from coarsely ground cornmeal since corn was cultivated in Europe in the 16th century, but was also in the past made with farro, chestnuts, millet, spelt or chickpeas. Polenta is usually made from yellow corn.

But do not get to thinking that polenta and grits are the same and interchangeable. because polenta and grits are different from one another -- even if that difference is slight. In most cases, you could use the same cornmeal to make a polenta dish as you would a grits dish, but the type of corn traditionally used to make each food is different.

Description

The variety of cereal used is usually yellow maize, but often buckwheat, white maize, or mixtures thereof may be used. Coarse grinds make a firm, coarse polenta; finer grinds make a creamy, soft polenta. Polenta is a staple of Northern Italian, Swiss, Slovenian and the Balkans (where it is also called kačamak) cuisines (and, to a lesser extent, the Central Italian one, e.g. Tuscany)and its consumption was traditionally associated with lower classes, as in times past cornmeal mush was an essential food in their everyday nutrition. In Romania and Moldova, this dish is known as mămăligă.

As it is known today, polenta derives from earlier forms of grain mush (known as puls or pulmentum in Latin) that were commonly eaten since Roman times. Before the introduction of corn (maize) from America in the 16th century, polenta was made from starchy ingredients like farro (wheat), chestnut flour, millet, spelt (wheat), and chickpeas.

Cooking Time

Polenta takes a long time to cook, simmering in four to five times its volume of watery liquid for about 45 minutes with near-constant stirring; this is necessary for even gelatinization of the starch. Some alternative cooking techniques have been invented to speed up the process or to not require constant supervision. Quick-cooking (pre-cooked, instant) polenta is widely used and is prepared in just a few minutes; it is considered inferior to polenta made from unprocessed cornmeal and is best eaten after being baked or fried.

Nutrition

Polenta is low calorie, similar to other whole grains that are cooked in a liquid. It provides about 70 calories per 100 grams (g) cooked serving. Nutritious, whole foods that are low in calories, such as polenta, can be a good choice for people looking to lose or maintain weight.

Polenta contains carbohydrates and protein. A 30-gram tablespoon of polent flour provides 24 g of carbohydrate. 2 g of protein.

Sample Recipe: Creamy Italian Polenta

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 250kcal

For the broth:

2 corn cobs
½ onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 parsley sprigs
2 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
4 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 cups of water

For the polenta:

2 cups of water
2 cups of milk
1½ cups polenta
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
Kernels from 2 ears of corn
¼ cup ricotta cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

To finish:

1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed, slice in half
½ pound shiitake mushrooms stem removed, sliced in half
1 tbsp. thyme leaves
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (or more) basil, cut in thin ribbons, for garnish
½ (or more) cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Make the broth:

If you haven’t already, cut the kernels off the two ears of corn. Set the kernels aside in a bowl. Place the cobs, onion half, garlic cloves, parsley and thyme sprigs, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, and tomatoes in a soup pot. Pour in the water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a lively simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced to about 1½ cups, about 45 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a smaller pot. Press on the solids in the strainer to extract the juices. Cover the broth and set aside.

Make the polenta:

Pour the water or broth into a pot that has nice high sides. Bring to a boil. Add the milk and slowly drizzle in the polenta, whisking constantly. It will seem like too much liquid for the amount of polenta, but the liquid absorbs pretty rapidly. Turn the heat to low. Continue whisking until the mixture is very thick, just about 5 minutes. Make sure the heat is on low and allow to cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. It will bubble thickly and may mess up your stove, the higher the sides on our pot the better for reducing mess. After 10 minutes, stir in the fresh corn kernels. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the ricotta cheese and allow it to cook for another few minutes so that the flavors can meld. Season to taste with pepper and salt. Cover and it should keep warm for about 30 minutes or so. If you need to reheat it, you can do so gently over very low heat. Be sure to stir it well so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Finish the dish:

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter, add the olive oil, and add the mushrooms. Allow them to cook without disturbing them for a few minutes so they can get a bit of a sear. Then stir occasionally as they cook for another 5-10 minutes. About halfway through the cooking time, add the fresh thyme leaves and a good pinch of salt. Once the mushrooms are nicely browned, season to taste with salt and pepper.

High-quality raw materials and slow milling together with meticulous care of each processing phase and the use of state-of-the-art technologies for a line of top-quality products, where taste and aroma are the protagonists of healthy, genuine and easily digestible dishes.

To obtain the best flours, we carefully select raw materials and meticulously check every phase of production. We have the quality of our products at heart, that's why we check the selection of seeds from the use of good farming methods in the countryside for healthy cultivation, to cereal preservation by cold storage, and finally the analyses of raw materials, as well as all the intermediate production phases and end products.

2.2 pound (1 kilogram)

Ingredients: Precooked cornflour

Packaging: Plastic Package

Product of Italy

Polenta & Flour

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