Polenta

Polenta consists of corn flour, water, and a well-lubricated elbow. The flour becomes polenta when, with constant stirring, it absorbs all the water and turns into a homogeneous, soft, yet compact mass that wipes cleanly away from the side of the pot.

In The Classic Italian Cook Book I gave a recipe for polenta with a high proportion of flour to water that required half the conventional time to stir. Although it has always worked well at home, I have found that