Polenta: dalla ricetta originale alle versioni arricchite e gourmet con Stefano Masanti

Polenta Recipes with Stefano Masanti

Traditional Polenta

Ingredients: Water, salt and cornmeal.

Method:

1. Bring salted water to a boil.
2. Remove the pot from the heat. Gradually add the cornmeal, mixing as you go to make a smooth batter and prevent lumps.
3. Return the pot to the heat and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring continuously.
4. The polenta is ready when a crust forms and begins to pull away from the pan.

Tip: Polenta needs attention while cooking, so don’t leave it unstirred.

Valtellina-Style Polenta Taragna

Ingredients: Water, salt, cornmeal, buckwheat flour, Casera cheese and butter.

Method:

1. Bring salted water to a boil, then remove it from the heat.
2. Gradually mix in the cornmeal and buckwheat flour.
3. Return the pot to the heat and cook until done.
4. Stir in the Casera cheese until melted, then add the butter.

Buckwheat gives the polenta a distinctive aroma. It is rich enough to serve on its own.

Polenta Crupa

Ingredients: Cream, a little water, cornmeal, buckwheat flour, potatoes, cheese and butter.

Method:

1. Bring the cream and a little water to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and gradually stir in the flours.
2. Cook until thickened, stirring as with the other polentas.
3. Add the potatoes after about 1 hour of cooking.
4. Add the cheese and butter toward the end, at around 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.

This makes a particularly substantial, firm polenta that can be eaten on its own.

Polenta with Prawn Broth

Ingredients: Prawn broth, cornmeal, seaweed, a toasted flour-and-butter mixture (called “melonz” in the subtitles), prawns, sour cream, vegetable caviar and Zorri Cress.

Method:

1. Bring the prawn broth to a boil. Add the cornmeal a spoonful at a time, mixing carefully to avoid lumps.
2. Cook for about 40 minutes, then add the seaweed and cook for another 20 minutes.
3. To make the toasted flour-and-butter mixture, stir flour and butter in a pan over heat until the flour is toasted and brown.
4. Spoon the polenta onto a plate and briefly beat or spread it. Arrange the raw prawns on top, then add sour cream, vegetable caviar and Zorri Cress.

Serving note: The sour cream adds acidity, while the seafood and seaweed give the dish a distinctly marine character.

Polenta with Kaffir Lime, Cardamom Leaves and Rye

Ingredients: Water, salt, cornmeal, rye flour, kaffir lime and cardamom leaves. Watercress extraction is used to finish the dish.

Method:

1. Infuse the water with kaffir lime and cardamom leaves, as you would for tea. Strain it; the liquid should take on a light-green color.
2. Bring the infusion back to a boil and add salt. Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the cornmeal, then mix in the rye flour.
3. Return the pot to the heat and cook for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
4. Finish with watercress extraction.

Rye makes the polenta somewhat viscous and adds a distinctive aroma. Masanti presents this flavoring approach as something to experiment with.

Leftover-Polenta Gnocchi

Ingredients: Leftover polenta, mashed potato, potato starch, egg yolk and a pinch of “melonz” flour. Oil is used for the pan.

To serve: Goat’s-milk grana cheese, candied ginger and watercress.

Method:

1. Combine the starch, leftover polenta, mashed potato, a pinch of flour and the egg yolk to form a dough.
2. Shape the dough into small gnocchi. Steam them, then blast-chill and freeze.
3. Cook the gnocchi straight from frozen in a pan with oil over low to medium-low heat. Turn them until they develop a crust without burning. The aim is a crisp exterior and a soft, almost liquid center.
4. Serve with goat’s-milk grana, candied ginger and watercress.

Recipe credit: Masanti says the gnocchi idea is based on a recipe by Beppe Cereda of Ristorante Cereda.

Equipment and Preparation

Use a pot and heat source for the polenta, stirring utensils, and a pan for the toasted flour-and-butter mixture and gnocchi. The gnocchi are steamed, blast-chilled, frozen and later browned in a pan.

For the watercress finish, Masanti demonstrates using a low-speed centrifuge to extract the liquid.

Presenter and Sources

Stefano Masanti is the chef and owner of Cantinone in Madesimo. He is joined by sous-chef Thomas Locatelli and pastry chef Selma Brini.

The gnocchi recipe is credited to Beppe Cereda. Masanti also recommends ItaliaSquisita’s Pasta book, which includes his pizzoccheri recipe.