Valdosta Polenta Concia

La storia di questo piatto

Born in the silent valleys of the Aosta region, where cowbells echo between glaciers and stone-walled barns hold centuries of mountain wisdom, this golden polenta is the soul of a people who learned to turn hardship into warmth, corn and aged cheese into an embrace that outlasts winter.

Ingredienti

• 300 g Cornmeal polenta
• 1 L Vegetable or meat broth
• 150 g Butter
• 200 g Fontina valdostana cheese
• 80 g Parmigiano Reggiano
• q.b. Salt
• q.b. Black pepper
• 1 pinch Nutmeg

Preparazione

1. Pour the broth into a wide pot and place it on the stove over medium-high heat. Wait for it to come to a rolling boil: you'll see large bubbles rising quickly from the bottom and hear a loud, constant sound. When this happens, add a generous handful of salt to the hot water and stir it in with a spoon.
2. Take the polenta (cornmeal) and pour it slowly into the boiling broth as if you were pouring sand from a beach—let it fall little by little from your closed fist. As you pour, constantly stir with a whisk to break up the lumps that form. Go slowly: if you dump all the polenta in at once, you'll create large clumps and end up with grainy polenta. The whisking motion is the most important thing: keep it constant and vigorous while you pour, so the flour distributes evenly throughout the hot liquid.
3. Continue stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, always in the same direction: this helps you avoid tiring and incorporates air. The polenta is ready after 25–30 minutes of cooking over medium heat: you'll know it's done when it pulls away from the sides of the pot as you stir (the bottom stays clean for a moment before it fills in again), when it becomes heavy to stir (you'll have to work hard to move the spoon), and when you hear a gentle rustling or soft crackling sound as you scrape the bottom with the spoon (these are tiny bubbles bursting). If the polenta sticks too much to the bottom, lower the heat slightly.
4. Remove the pot from the heat. Cut the cold butter into small cubes (about one centimeter) and add them to the hot polenta one or two at a time. Stir vigorously for 10–15 seconds between each cube: the butter will melt into the hot polenta and make it smoother and shinier, almost glossy.
5. Add the Fontina cut into small cubes and the grated Parmigiano. Continue stirring well and quickly: the cheese will melt into the hot polenta and make it creamy and velvety, like a dense, soft cream that flows slowly from the spoon. Stir for 1–2 minutes until all the cheese is completely melted.
6. Taste a spoonful of polenta (be careful: it's very hot). If it needs more salt, add a pinch and stir again to distribute it evenly. Then add a grind of fresh pepper and a small grating of nutmeg: the aroma should be delicate, not overpowering (start with a little and add more if you want). Stir well and taste again until the flavor is exactly as you like it.
7. Pour the polenta right away into bowls that you've warmed by running them under hot water and drying them thoroughly with a kitchen towel (this keeps them warm longer and the polenta will stay creamy and soft). If you like, top it with thin slices of Fontina that you've quickly toasted in a small pan with a drizzle of butter until they soften slightly, or with shavings of fresh black truffle grated at the moment using a microplane grater.