Italian Easy Polenta Recipes

Italian Polenta recipes are typical from northern Italy where polenta traditions are very rich and deeply rooted, especially Valtellina's is very famous.

Always been defined as the "dish of the poor" it underlies many of Valtellina's recipes thanks to goodness and simplicity of this staple, in fact it's nothing than a mixture of water and cornmeal (yellow) flour, traditionally cooked in a copper pot.

Contrary to popular belief it's done not only with cornmeal, but it can be prepared with a variety of cereals and even with chestnuts.

The origins of polenta have their roots in antiquity, it was the period when Christopher Columbus returned from America and brought with him a plant hitherto never seen in Europe, the corn or maize.

Colombo said that natives of the Americas used to prepare a sort of compound of maize flour and water, which was then cooked and seasoned with sauces, vegetables, meat or cheese.

The maize plant grew very prosperous in the northern Italy, and for this great abundance together with the low cost became the favorite food of poor people, especially the farmers who cultivated it, made many of the polenta recipes known today.

As polenta tastes very "neutral", easily adaptable, farmers found many variations to combine this food (very nutritious and inexpensive), with other existing Italian dishes, and indeed over time took the place of expensive bread.

Nowadays polenta recipes have been passed down by Italians fellow mountaineers, they are many and all very good.

How To Make Polenta
Make polenta the old-fashioned way with step-by-step pictures...

Fried Polenta
Grandmother's fried polenta with salty or sweetie taste...

Polenta Lasagna
Italian polenta lasagna with gorgonzola cheese...

Polenta Cake
Italian winter polenta cake with apples and raisins...

Porcini Mushrooms Great Sauce for Polenta!

Yes, I have to say that I love porcini mushrooms so much that it doesn't matter if they are fresh, dried or frozen. And mushrooms fits polenta as parmigiano cheese fits pasta, endeed a yummy sauce for polenta. Enjoy!

**My Favourite Polenta Recipe with Mushrooms**

Ingredients: serves 4

First follow How to Make Polenta!

Then these are the ingredients for the porcini mushrooms sauce

TIP!
In place of fresh mushrooms you can use frozen ones (or other type of mushrooms) to be added without thawing.

Preparation: medium 1 hour

1. Carefully remove all soil from the mushrooms, scraped clean with a cutter. Go with a damp cloth without washing them and cut into regular slices.

2. In a frying pan add four tablespoons of olive oil and brown two cloves of garlic.

3. Remove the garlic and add in the mushrooms. Cover and cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally. As they become dry, add the chopped parsley, rosemary and salt.

4. Keep the sauce aside hot and ready to season the polenta that you had previously prepared from this recipe: How to Make Polenta