Cornmeal

Polenta, which is simply the Italian word for cornmeal, comes in a variety of grinds. Look for medium-grind commeals with a granular texture, which become fairly creamy polentas, and coarser stone-ground whole commeals, which cook to a firmer consistency. Always buy the freshest cornmeal you can. Polenta with the hull and germ of the com removed will keep at room temperature; others must be kept in the refrigerator to prevent the germ from becoming rancid. Polenta taragna, dappled beige buckwheat polenta, is used in the Valtellina, while white cornmeal is cooked in the Veneto, where its creamy consistency goes well with vegetable and fish dishes. Quick polenta— precooked, dried, and boxed—needs only 5 or 6 minutes from start to finish to be ready. Stay away from powdery fine cornmeal and please don’t be tempted by the precooked tubes of polenta; they look easy to deal with but lack at least one critical ingredient: taste.