An ancient food for poor people, now polčnta is served even in the most elegant restaurants. Since maize came from America, prior to XV century polenta was made with millet, oat, rye or "tartary buckwheat" flour.
To serve 6:
1, 5 L 2 (6 1/4 cups) boiling water
500 gr. (1 lb.2 oz.) fine corn flour
When the water is boiling sieve the flour in, stirring with a long wooden spoon. Cook and stir for 30/40 minutes. It is ready when it comes off the sides easily.
You can use also the precooked polenta (usually 8-10 minutes cooking). In this case, follow the package instructions. The result is also very good.
When the polenta is ready, pour it on a wooden board (cover the board with a clean dish cloth if it's made of resinous wood). You can eat it immediately spooning a little on each persons plate or leave it to harden slightly. In this case, cut it using a wooden knife or a piece of string: hold one end in each hand, slip it under the polenta and pull upwards!
Popular ways to serve polenta:
with a mushrooms sauce
with sausages (if you're not vegetarian)
with a bean sauce
with melting cheese: in this case, "Fontėna Valdostāna", "Toma del Piemōnte", "Bitto della Val Brembāna", "Formāi de Mut", or "Valtellėna Casčra"are suggested
with a sauce made by adding lightly cooked onion slices to some Gorgonzola cheese melted in warm milk and/or cooking cream.
Polenta can also be sliced and toasted on a grill or fried in oil.
You can grill it in layers on a baking pan alternated to layers of melting cheese, sparkled with freshly ground black pepper and covered by grated Parmigiano and butter in little flakes.
For frying use thinner slices.
You may want to prepare a polenta Tarāgna just replacing half the dose of corn flour with "kasha", the "tartary buckwheat" flour (Fagopyrum tartaricum, the one used for Japanese "sobas"). This polenta will be darker, harder and more tasty, superb with melting Bitto cheese: try it with a glass of Valtellėna Superiore Grumčllo.
-Suggested wines (all red, served at 18-22°C / 64-71° F):
polenta with Fontėna or Toma cheese: Valle d'Aosta Gamay D.O.C., or Valle d'Aosta Arnad-Montjovet D.O.C. polenta with Bitto, Formāi de Mut or Casčra cheese: Valtellėna Superiore Grumello D.O.C., or Valtellina D.O.C.
polenta with mushroom sauce: Trentino Cabernet Sauvignon D.O.C., or Trentino Pinot Nero D.O.C., or Trentino Rosso D.O.C. polenta with Gorgonzola cheese: Valcalčpio rosso D.O.C. polenta with sausages or other "strong" red meat: Valtellina Superiore Inferno D.O.C, or Trentino Marzemėno D.O.C.