Culinary Discovery
POLENTA: A Cook's Canvas
by Gabriella
True
"Polenta is one
of those ageless culinary lords, like bread. It has sprung from
the hunger of mankind, and without apparent effort has always
carried with it a feeling of strength and dignity and well being.
It costs little to prepare, if there is a little to spend, or
it can be extravagantly, opulently odorous with wines and such.
It can be made doggedly, with one ear cocked for the old wolf's
sniffing under the door, or it can be turned out as a well-nourished
gesture to other simpler days. But no matter what conceits it
may be decked with, its fundamental simplicity survives, to
comfort our souls as well as our bellies, the way a good solid
fugue does, or a warm morning in spring." - M.F.K, How to Cook
a Wolf¸1942
When you think of polenta
you think of Italy. However, it really is a Native American creation.
It was cultivated in the Americas from Peru to Mexico long before
Columbus ever brought it to Europe. Corn was one of America's
native grass species and was cultivated as early as 3,500 B.C.
They ground the dried corn in between stones and then cooked it
in water.
In the Middle Ages
the Italians ate something similar to polenta but used barley,
chickpeas, and chestnuts to make gruel and breads and cakes. Puls
or Pulmentum, were Roman names for porridge. The preparation
was basically in the same way polenta is prepared today.
Christopher Columbus
brought corn to Spain after his first trip to the Americas. It
is not known how much corn he brought back on his first trip.
A few legends say that he only brought a few seeds in his pockets
but it is more likely he either brought a few bags or almost a
full cargo load. Spain did not embrace corn but Italy did. It
is thought that Piero Gaioncelli of Bergamo, a traveler who followed
Columbus's route, was the first to import and cultivate corn in
Italy. Corn became a culinary staple by the 17th and 18th century
for the peasant populations. Polenta even became a source of inspiration
for poets and artists.
In the Bergamo region,
it is traditional to serve polenta with grilled birds. Today it
is illegal to kill songbirds but several centuries ago it was
not. The songbirds were caught in nets stretched between the hilltops
of Bergamo. The peasants did not have access to much meat and
this was one way to enrich their diet. There was very little meat
on these little birds so they were grilled very quickly over open
flames and served with polenta; the polenta would absorb the flavor
of the birds' juices. This was a beloved dish and was known as
polenta e oseletti scapai, meaning "polenta and the little
birds that got away."
Today many festivals
in Italy revolve around polenta. In a Piedmont town there is a
festival to celebrate an event that happened over 200 years ago.
The story is that Marchese Rovere rescued coppersmiths whose trade
it was to make polenta pots. Trapped by a snowstorm, the coppersmiths
were near stavation when Rovere fed them polenta with a sauce
of onions and sausage.
In April there is another
festival in Piedmont. This one honors the Carretto family who
ruled in the 1650's. They generously commissioned the coppersmiths
to make a very large polenta pot. This commission was crucial
because the coppersmiths had not had a large commission in a long
time.
In 1976, the Order
of the Knights of Polenta was founded in Bergamo. The charter
is designed to "uphold, defend, and promote the use of polenta,
and promote new ways to appreciate it, find the most suitable
wines to enjoy with it, and to locate places where polenta is
valued to the fullest." There are seven members who, when they
meet, wear red and gold satin capes. Around their neck hangs a
wooden board to symbolize the board that one pours the polenta
onto. They meet with other Knights, like those of Funghi and Osso
Buco once a year to have a big feast. An enviable ticket indeed!
Polenta is a complex
carbohydrate, rich in thiamin, riboflavin, potassium and magnesium.
One cup of cooked polenta contains about 120 calories and almost
3 grams of protein. It does have a high protein value but it is
missing two amino acids so it is not a complete protein. Once
it is combined with other grains, meat, or dairy it is rounded
out and a complete protein is formed.
Polenta is like an
artist's canvas, ready for anything. It can be completely plain
with a little parmigian cheese or with a sauce of precious morels.
It can be soft or it can be hard and molded into various shapes.
It can be grilled, fried, broiled or layered with meat sauce.
It is perfect with vegetables or braised meats. Or it can be baked
into breads and pastries.
When many people think
of this ingredient they think of a large vat of bubbling polenta
that has to be stirred constantly. That is an antiquated picture
which comes from a time when polenta was cooked in a large copper
pot with a rounded bottom to prevent sticking in the corners.
It would have been cooked over an open flame with a long spoon
so that the cook could stand back from the fire. Now with gas
and electric stoves, the heat is evenly distributed and thus polenta
is much easier to make. If you are making a small batch you only
have to stir it occasionally.
If you are making
a large batch you will need to stir more frequently. Make sure
that you stir the polenta up to the top from the bottom so that
it does not burn. If it is too runny then all you need to do is
cook it longer or if it is too thick, simply add a little more
water. If you do get clumps the easiest way to get them out is
to take a fork and press the lump against the wall of the pot
so that it breaks up. If you are making polenta it is really easy
to make a big batch at one time. The amount you don't use can
be put into molds or a dish and let firm up. Cover the polenta
well in plastic wrap and it can last in the refrigerator for about
a week. It is easy to reheat it by grilling, frying or broiling
it.
Recipes>>
