Italian
Gluten freePolenta concia
Polenta with fontina
Polenta concia: Aosta Valley polenta layered with fontina and nutty brown butter
High in the Valle d'Aosta, polenta concia is what comes out of the kitchen of a mountain refuge after a cold day on the slopes above Cogne or Courmayeur. Soft yellow polenta is layered in a hot dish with cubes of fontina, the valley's own alpine cheese, then drowned in sizzling brown butter until the cheese melts into long, stretchy strings. It is rich, savoury and very filling, best eaten from the dish with a green salad alongside. Chef's tip: cube the fontina while the polenta cooks and keep it at room temperature, so it melts at once instead of staying in cold lumps.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 520 kcal
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 8 oz fontina cheesein 1 cm cubes; usually made with animal rennet, or a vegetarian alpine-style melting cheese
- 2 ⅞ oz butter
- ¼ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Bring 5 cups water to the boil in a large heavy pan and add 1 ½ tsp salt.
Step 2: Lower the heat to medium and pour in 9 oz coarse cornmeal (polenta) in a thin rain, whisking all the time. Common mistake: tipping the cornmeal in at once; it forms lumps that never cook out.
Step 3: Turn the heat to low, switch to a wooden spoon and cook for about 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the polenta is thick, glossy and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
40 minStep 4: Warm a deep serving dish. Spread a third of the polenta in it and scatter over half of 8 oz fontina cheese.
Step 5: Add another third of the polenta, the rest of the cheese, then the last of the polenta.
Step 6: Melt 2 ⅞ oz butter in a small pan over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes, until it foams, smells nutty and turns light brown.
4 minStep 7: Pour the sizzling butter over the polenta, grind over ¼ tsp black pepper and serve at once, scooping deep so everyone gets cheese.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 43 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does polenta concia take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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