| Polenta return? |
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Do you remember the heady days of the late 80s when the economy was looking gloomy and the River Café (and others) were introducing us all to a new way of eating? Italian peasant cooking, often including the ubiquitous Polenta, was all the rage alongside sun dried tomatoes and olive oil. Perhaps you have wondered what has happened to this starchy corn accompaniment, well, at Organico we have a delicious authentic organic Italian polenta which guarantees the real taste of this traditional filling ingredient. We are not the only ones who think it is time to bring it back. Nigel Slater writing in the Observer (November 2, 2008) says:“The rich stews of the Greek and Italian kitchen are perfect examples of how a few spicy sausages or a chunk of ham can be stretched to feed a family, and probably an extended one at that. This may well be the winter that polenta finally makes it big in this country. Nothing fills the belly like a mound of canary-coloured cornmeal.”Organico Italian Buyer Raffaella Scorretti says: “In the north of Italy polenta is a family tradition, there is a special board called a Tagliere which is put onto the table and then filled with the cooked polenta. Topped with sauce it is then shared by family, friends and neighbours. Everyone just dips into the warming and filling mixture and it is a social event! In fact there is a painting from the 18th Century by Pietro Longhi showing the polenta being poured onto the board.” In the UK, after a flurry of popularity in the 80s, polenta seems to have lost its way, but as allergies to wheat grow it is another way to add variety to meals. It can ring the changes from bread, potatoes, rice or pasta and used in the right way is delicious. Raffaella says: “It is not very difficult to prepare but some people are scared of it. You simple put 110g/4oz of polenta into 500ml/17fl oz boiled water in a medium pan over a medium heat and cook for 1 minute. It is then ready for the sauce or vegetables and can be eaten straight away.” There are other ways of serving polenta, you can use stock instead of water, you can prepare as above and then put into a container and cool until it is hard and put in the oven until it forms a crust. It can then be used as a sort of bread with stews, you can also use it as a coating instead of breadcrumbs.Organico polenta is high quality, authentically produced in Italy using organic corn and therefore is gluten-free. |