Polenta

Just as bread is important in Tuscany, pasta in Emilia Romana and rice in the Veneto, polenta is the essential staple of the northernmost region of Italy. Like bread, pasta and rice, polenta can be transformed by the method of cooking.

At the River Cafe we only make polenta when in season and either grill it or serve it wet with butter and parmesan. We cook it wet to go with the recipes that have a lot of juice which will be soaked up by the polenta, such as game birds, sausages with tomato sauce, field and wild mushrooms. Polenta which has been grilled has a crust with a soft texture inside which is delicious with any of our sauces, salads, or braised vegetables.