Among the many recipes you can make with polenta we chose this one, on the one hand because it partly respects the idea of minimum resources for maximum return (cooking in Alpine Style... hehehe!), on the other because we think that peasant recipes are the ones that, to some extent, made the history and formed the basis of mountain food even before the development of gastronomy itself.
Ingredients:
1800 ml water
500 g maize flour
250 g fontina cheese
salt to taste
Slowly pour the flour into about 1800 ml of boiling salted water. If possible, use a whisk to avoid lumps forming. These proportions of water and flour will give you a fairly thick polenta. Cook the polenta as long as possible, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pot (copper, if possible). It should usually cook for at least 20-30 minutes.
Once the polenta is cooked, pour it onto a wooden board and leave it to cool until it has set completely. Cut the polenta into slices that are not too thin. Lay them on a baking tray and put them in a hot oven. When the polenta starts to form a lightly golden crust, place a slice of cheese on each slice of polenta. Leave in the oven for a few more minutes so that the cheese melts completely, then serve.
Undoubtedly this recipe has its origin in the need to use up leftover polenta.
Bibliography:
Cucina di Montagna di Maurizio Sentieri - Sagep
http://www.polentadiunavolta.com
Another hearty dish of mountain cooking is the Carbonade Valdostana.
The key steps in brief
- Doses: 500 g of maize flour to 1800 ml of salted water give a thick polenta, suitable for slicing.
- Cooking: flour poured in a steady rain into the boiling water, a whisk against lumps and then continuous stirring with the wooden spoon for at least 20-30 minutes.
- Resting: the polenta must be left to set completely on the board, otherwise the slices will break.
- Oven: first the golden crust, then the fontina on top of each slice, just long enough to melt it.
It is an excellent way not to waste the polenta left over from the day before, and the already cooked slices can be prepared in advance. If you are looking for other peasant dishes from the mountain tradition, try the potato fritters.