Italian traditional Polenta is a hearty lunch for cold winter days. Now known almost throughout Italy, in the past it was the staple food in the mountain areas of Central and Northern Italy.
In Central Italian regions, polenta has a particular aspect. Here it is a more liquid dish and served on a rectangular wooden table called "spianatoia", made of cherry or pear wood, around which the whole family sit to eat. Here in my Polenta dish, I have represent how Nonna used to make it for all of her 10 family members for a nourishing Sunday lunch on a cold winter's day. A beautiful family moment spent together in front of warm and rich authentic food that I won't ever forget! This is a great way to create a communal family meal, but this can also be served on plate or individual wood trays.
Whilst there are different polenta corn flours, my suggestion here, as is traditional, is Organic Otto File Corn Flour. A real taste of Polenta!!
FOR THE SAUCE SERVING 4 PEOPLE:
250gr pork ribs
2 Italian sausages
500gr of tomatoes passata (puree)
1 whole carrot
1 whole long celery stick
1 whole onion
1 cloves
1/4 cup of white wine
2 spoons extra virgin olive oil
pecorino and parmesan cheese, grated
salt
pepper
In a large pot on medium-high heat, add oil, sausage and ribs. At medium heat, let the meat fry until golden all around, then add wine and cook until wine has evaporated (approximately 5 minutes). Now add tomato puree and 2 glasses of warm water, the vegetables, and clove. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 1 hour or until meat is tender and the sauce is full. Add more hot water during the cooking if you think you need to complete the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the sauce is done remove the vegetable, carrot, celery and onion as you won't need them to serving the polenta.
FOR THE POLENTA SERVING 4 PEOPLE:
500g corn flour
2l of water
salt
In a large pot add 2l of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and bring to the boil. Gradually pour in the corn flour, whisking constantly to combine. Once it starts to boil, reduce heat cover with a lid but keep whisking frequently, like every few few minutes. This to prevent the polenta sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook for approximately 45-50 minutes. Taste for more salt in last five minutes. Serve immediately by pouring onto a large wooden board or individual plates with the sauce on top, and a generous sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese. Enjoy!!
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