Polenta

A cornmeal porridge from Northern Italy. Traditionally made with water in a large copper pot called the paiolo and stirred with a bastone (a wooden baton) then cooled in madia - a round wooden tray and cut up into diamond or squares and then served plain with butter and cheese, any of a number of sauces as pasta is and braised or roasted meat. Various ingredients can be added during cooking including cheese, vegetables, ham and truffles. There are two main types of Polenta - fine or coarse- they result in different textures in the finished product. see Recipe