Ann Taruschio, Franco Taruschio

Basic Polenta

Preparation info
  • Serves

    4

    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
Leaves from The Walnut Tree: Cooking of a Lifetime
Leaves from The Walnut Tree

By Ann Taruschio and Franco Taruschio

Published 1993

  • About

Bright sunshine-yellow polenta is made from ground maize meal. An instant polenta flour is available, it is not quite as good as the original method, but is not a bad substitute if you are pressed for time.

Ingredients

  • 900 ml/1½ pt boiling salted water
  • 300 g/10

Method

Add the flour to the boiling water (the water must be boiling because a high temperature is needed to burst the starch grains), letting it drop in like sand sifting through your fingers. As the flour is falling into the water, stir with a wooden spoon. Always stir in one direction, never change direction. Keep stirring for 30–40 minutes. You should end up with quite a thick paste, but not so th