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Polenta taragna
Buckwheat polenta with cheese
Polenta taragna: Valtellina's buckwheat polenta with melted mountain cheese
ItalianHigh in the Valtellina valley near Sondrio, where wheat struggles but buckwheat grows well, polenta is made grey-brown and nutty with a mix of buckwheat and cornmeal. Taragna gets its name from the tarell, the long wooden stick used to stir it in a copper pot over the fire. At the end, butter and cubes of the local Valtellina Casera or Bitto cheese are stirred in until they melt into strings. It is winter food for cold mountain evenings, eaten with mushrooms or sausages on the side. Local cheeses are usually made with animal rennet; a vegetarian melting cheese works. Chef's tip: stir the flour into the boiling water in a slow rain with a whisk; once it is all in, switch to a wooden spoon and keep stirring.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 1 ½ tsp coarse salt
- 7 oz buckwheat flour
- 3 ½ oz coarse polenta (cornmeal)
- 2 ⅞ oz buttercubed
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring 6 ¼ cups water and 1 ½ tsp coarse salt to the boil in a large heavy pan.
Step 2: Mix 7 oz buckwheat flour and 3 ½ oz coarse polenta (cornmeal). Pour them into the boiling water in a slow stream, whisking all the time to stop lumps.
3 minStep 3: Turn the heat to low and cook for 45–50 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the polenta is thick, comes away from the sides and the grains no longer feel gritty. Common mistake: walking away; buckwheat polenta catches on the bottom and burns quickly.
50 minStep 4: Stir in 2 ⅞ oz butter until melted, then add 9 oz Valtellina Casera, fontina or a vegetarian melting cheese and stir for 2–3 minutes, until it melts into long strings.
3 minStep 5: Serve straight from the pot onto warm plates, or pour it onto a wooden board in the old way.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 33 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does polenta taragna take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 50 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.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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