Peasant polenta recipe. Step-by-step recipe for classic polenta

National Italian dish - corn polenta! Very tasty and satisfying - with cheese, raisins, vegetables.

Polenta - a dish made from crushed corn kernels first appeared in Italy in the 16th century. After this golden cereal was brought from America to Europe by Columbus. Initially, this dish was prepared only by the poor. However, over time, it became widespread and won the love of Italian gourmets, turning from an ordinary peasant food into exquisite dish... Polenta is a universal food. The thing is that Italians use it not only as a side dish for meat and fish dishes, but also as a dessert, snack, and even instead of bread. It all depends on the recipe. And there are an incredible number of them. Polenta can be made soft and sweet, or you can make polenta hard and serve cut into pieces. In addition, it can be supplemented with vegetables, cheese, mushrooms, meat or seafood and get completely independent and very hearty dish... Children are best served with sweet fruit polenta. In general, any gourmet will find a recipe to his taste. If you master classic recipe cooking polenta, then all its other variations will not seem difficult for you.

• 1 cup polenta (very fine corn grits).
• 3 glasses of water.
• Salt to taste.
• Butter.

For the preparation of this dish, very fine corn grits are used - almost flour. It is called "polenta". To be more precise, it is not even cereal, but coarsely ground corn flour. By the way, the taste of the dish greatly depends on its quality. You can never make real polenta from cheap low-grade flour - smooth and velvety, with tender, creamy taste... But that's not all. Before making cornmeal polenta, you will need to find a deep copper pot or heavy-walled saucepan. In the old days, every Italian family had a special cauldron for this purpose, which hung over the hearth and a long wooden spoon to it. It was in it that the Italian housewives prepared their traditional dish. But, given that it is quite problematic to get such a boiler nowadays, you can also use an ordinary teflon heat-resistant saucepan. So, you will need to measure out exactly 3 glasses of water. That is, the ratio of water to cereal should be exactly 3 to 1. No more, no less. When the water boils, salt it to taste, reduce the heat to a minimum so that the water barely gurgles and add flour in a very thin stream, stirring continuously.

Now be patient, because in the next 30-40 minutes your task will constantly interfere with corn porridge... Patiently, carefully and slowly. When the porridge begins to slightly lag behind the walls of the pan, and this will happen not earlier than after half an hour, the fire can be turned off.

Spoon the cooked porridge onto a shallow baking sheet or into another suitable container about a centimeter thick.

Smooth it out with a spoon. Put the parchment on top and once again gently level out the entire mass with your hands. Let it cool for about half an hour. Then remove the parchment.

Cut the frozen mass into pieces. You can also squeeze the circles out with a glass - as you like best.

Heat a skillet with butter and sauté the polenta pieces.

Transfer them to a plate, sprinkle with pepper if desired. You can eat both cold and hot.

Recipe 2: corn polenta (step by step)

Polenta, in fact, corn porridge with various additives- this dish Italian cuisine... Variations on the polenta theme exist in different regions of Italy. Since the taste of corn grits is rather neutral, and the color is not very expressive, in order to prepare an appetizing polenta, something spicy and bright is added to the corn porridge, for example, spicy and Bell pepper different colors, garlic, various herbs.

• water - 800 ml
• corn grits - 150 g
• soft cheese- 100 g
• hard parmesan cheese - 30 g
• hot chili pepper - 1 pc.
• garlic - 2 cloves
• olive oil - 2 tbsp. l.

Prepare all the polenta ingredients. Chop the garlic. The garlic cubes should be approximately 2 mm on a side. Finely chop the pepper (1 pc. Or ½) into 5 mm squares. If you are not a lover of spicy food, remove the seeds from the pepper first, or you can limit yourself to only half hot pepper... Grate both cheeses (soft and hard) on a fine grater.

Fry the garlic and hot peppers in olive oil.

One minute will be enough, the main thing is that the garlic and pepper retain their juiciness, and not dry out and not overcook. Strain the garlic and pepper through a strainer, drain the excess oil.

Boil water (800 ml) in a saucepan, add salt and add corn grits (150 g) in a thin stream, stirring continuously. If you fill the cereal all at once, it will instantly brew, and you will get a shapeless piece of porridge instead of polenta. Remember, semolina is cooked according to the same principle. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring the corn grits continuously for five minutes. Its readiness can be defined as follows. If, while stirring, at the bottom of the pan with corn grits there will be a trace of a spoon, which means that the porridge can be removed from the fire.

Add the sauteed pepper and garlic to the cooked corn porridge.

Add soft cheese and parmesan.

Stir.

Line the shape (preferably square) with baking paper, pour out the corn mixture.

Smooth the surface.

Place the polenta in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool the finished polenta completely, only then cut into 2 cm wide and 6 cm long cubes.

Serve Italian polenta with any sauce. It goes well even with ketchup, and real fire-eaters will love polenta with hot sauce Tabasco.

Recipe 3, simple: corn grits polenta

• Finely ground corn flour - 100 grams
• Water - 300 grams
• Salt - 20 grams

Ingredients for polenta are very modest, I can't even believe that this set can be used to make an exquisite dish.

It is ideal to cook classic polenta in copper dishes, stirring with a wooden spoon, but in our modern apartments copper dishes are rare, so you can replace them with a saucepan with thick walls and a bottom or a cauldron. V thick-walled pan pour in required amount water, add salt and bring the water to a boil.

Most main secret The ideal polenta is the right proportion of food, one part flour and three parts water. Introduce flour in small portions into boiling water and mix well with a spoon so that no lumps form, the porridge should be of a uniform consistency.

With constant stirring, we cook corn porridge for about 50 minutes, this long and laborious process cannot be interrupted, this is how the porridge will turn out to be of the correct consistency and will not burn. As soon as the porridge begins to lag behind the walls and a crust appears, it is ready, let's proceed to the next stage of cooking.

Cover the baking dish with parchment paper.

Put the cooked corn porridge in the mold, cool it down, then put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

After the allotted time, take out the finished polenta from the refrigerator, remove parchment paper, put on a cutting board.

We carefully divide the polenta into portioned pieces to your liking, cut the irregularities, edges.

Fold the chopped pieces into a baking dish, first grease the bottom of the form with sunflower oil. We put it in an oven preheated to 120 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Let the polenta cool down, now our dish is ready, you can put it on serving plates, because in the homeland polenta is used even instead of bread, or you can cook delicious dishes from polenta.

Polenta can be served with vegetables. Polenta can also be served with meat dishes, in Venice it will definitely be served to you with fish dishes.

For breakfast, polenta can be prepared in the form of cucumber tartlets and boiled egg, the best breakfast you can imagine.

Polenta is delicious in combination with any ingredient, it is very versatile, cooled and dried polenta, for example, can be cut into pieces, sprinkled with grated Parmesan and baked in the oven. Grilled polenta or sweet polenta is also tasty, it is customary to eat it dipped in coffee with milk.

Recipe 4: Italian Polenta porridge

Polenta corn porridge is one of the most ancient and favorite dishes of Italians. In northern Italy, it is customary to cook it with the addition of the remains of different types of cheese, as well as with different meat fillings.

From our step-by-step recipe with a photo, you will learn how to make polenta at home from corn flour... This porridge also turns out well from cereals, but flour polenta is softer. The resulting dish is very difficult to compare with ordinary porridge. The cheese in its composition gives the Italian polenta a unique taste that cannot be forgotten.

Our photo recipe will help you cook polenta without any problems to please your loved ones with an old Italian dish.

• corn flour - 380 gr
• water - 1 l
• milk - 250 ml
• butter - 160 gr
• hard cheese- 250 gr
• garlic - 1 clove
• white bread - 1 slice
• sage - 4 leaves
• thyme - 1 sprig
• edible salt to taste

We prepare the water: mix it with milk and bring to a boil, salt and throw in the bread.

Slowly and carefully add the cornmeal. Reduce heat and cook for 10-15 minutes. The main thing is not to forget constantly, to stir so that no lumps form.

Now we proceed to the cheeses: they need to be grated or crumbled ( it depends on the type of cheese you choose for the dish).

After the cooking time of polenta has expired, add the cheeses to it, stirring constantly, until they are completely dissolved.

We heat a frying pan, melt the butter in it, add the garlic, which must be crushed well beforehand, and sage leaves.

After a few minutes, take out the garlic and sage, and pour the resulting mixture into the porridge. Mix well, decorate with a sprig of thyme - and corn polenta in the old way Italian recipe ready. It can be used as an independent dish with some kind of sauce or as a side dish for meat.

Recipe 5: polenta porridge with bell pepper

Polenta - the National dish Italians, an analogue of hominy in Moldavian cuisine.

• Vegetable oil
• Flour 2 tablespoons
• Butter 30 g.
• Onion 100 g.
• Salt 0.5 tsp
• Herbs 0.5 tsp
• Tomatoes 100 g.
• Water 700 ml.
• Sour cream 2 tbsp
• Bulgarian pepper 100 g.
• Corn grits 250 g.

To prepare polenta, you need finely ground corn grits or flour, salt and aromatic herbs(they are optional, you can add at your discretion), onions, vegetable oil, Wheat flour, butter, tomatoes, bell peppers and sour cream.

Stir the groats together with the dried herbs. If you don't want to use them, you can skip this step.

Bring the water to a boil. Pour cereals into it. Pour in a thin stream, stirring the water continuously. It is wrong to pour out all the cereals at once. It will go into lumps. They can be broken, but for this you have to stir the porridge intensively. It is easier to add cereals in portions.

Soon the porridge will begin to thicken. At this stage, add salt and butter to it and stir.

Continue cooking until the porridge thickens. Stir occasionally to distribute heat and liquid evenly. If the porridge has thickened, but the grains are still not soft enough, add a little water and continue to cook. The finished polenta should be so thick that the spoon stuck in it does not fall.

Grease a deep dish or other suitable dish with vegetable oil. Place polenta in it. Smooth the surface soaked in cold water spoon. Leave the porridge to cool for 1-2 hours. During this time, the polenta will become firm and suitable for slicing.

Turn chilled polenta over and place on a wooden board. When it cools, the porridge will slightly decrease in volume and it will be easy to get it out. Cut the polenta with sturdy thread or a wet knife. Do not use a regular knife. Boiled corn will stick to it, and you will only spoil the even, beautiful pieces. Do not cut hot polenta. It will fall apart into separate pieces.

Breaded the polenta pieces in flour and place in a frying pan with heated vegetable oil. You don't need a lot of flour. It is enough for it to cover the pieces with a thin layer on both sides. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned. Do not turn the pieces until golden brown appears at the bottom. It not only improves taste and appearance dishes, but also makes the pieces stronger, does not allow them to fall apart. In general, polenta is completely ready to eat and not fried. But I decided to cook just such a variant of the dish. In Italy, by the way, it is called polenta fritta.

Prepare the vegetable sauce for the fried polenta. Cut all vegetables into small cubes.

On vegetable oil fry the onion with bell peppers until softened. Add tomatoes to them and fry until they are soft too.

Add sour cream, salt, pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes under the lid. Pour this sauce over the polenta as it is served. If you want, you can grind the sauce in a blender and then bring to a boil, then it will have a more uniform texture. Let the hot polenta with the sauce stand in a plate for a few minutes before serving so that the porridge is well saturated with the aroma of the sauce.

Recipe 6: polenta with cheese (step by step photos)

Polenta is a cornmeal dish that can be served as a side dish. By supplementing polenta with cheese, you will get an independent dish and surprise all your loved ones with a new dish.

• Milk - 250 ml
• Corn flour - 70 g
• Butter - 25 g
• Cheese or feta cheese - 200 g
• Salt to taste
• Ground black pepper - to taste
• Fresh parsley - 2 g

How to cook polenta with cheese: pour milk into a double-bottomed saucepan or cauldron and put on fire.

After boiling, add butter and salt if desired.

Pre-dry corn flour in the oven and sift (it is best to take fine flour). While stirring constantly, gradually add corn flour (the quality of your polenta depends on the quality of the flour). Stir the porridge thoroughly for 5 minutes over low heat.

Add another 40-50 g of milk and stir for another 4 minutes.

The polenta should be thick.

After the porridge has become a homogeneous consistency, put it in a mold or glass, previously greased with butter. It is good to tamp the porridge with a spoon, having previously moistened it with water.

Put the polenta in the refrigerator for 20-25 minutes until it cools completely.

Then get out of the form.

Cut the polenta slightly with a damp knife.

Place on a plate, sprinkle with black pepper and chopped herbs.

Put sheep cheese or cheese on top and put the polenta with cheese in the oven (temperature - 180 degrees) for 7-10 minutes.

Polenta with cheese is ready!

Recipe 7, step by step: polenta with mushrooms

An Italian dish called polenta is becoming more and more popular in our area. Along with pasta and pizza, it is prepared at Italian-style parties and served in themed restaurants. Making polenta at home is very easy if you know how to cook ... semolina... Yes, yes, it is this dish that most of all resembles an Italian delicacy in terms of consistency and method of preparation. Well, by adding greens and mushrooms to it, you will get excellent holiday dish, which may well become the "star" of the entire table.

• Polenta - 250 g
• Champignons - 300 g
• Bulb onions - 1 pc.
• Hard cheese - 200 g
• Green garlic - 3-5 stalks
• Parsnip leaves - half bunch
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable oil for frying

The cooking technology of this dish is arranged in such a way that first you need to make a mushroom "addition", and after that - the polenta itself. So we peel the onion, cut it into half rings, rings or cubes (whoever likes it). We spread it on a frying pan covered with vegetable oil and heated, fry on all sides.

While the onion is fried, quickly peel the mushrooms, cut them into smaller pieces and put them in the pan. Please note that the fire should be rather big: otherwise the mushrooms will immediately start up the water and begin to "boil". Salt the mushrooms with onions, stir them from time to time.

Now let's cook polenta! To begin with, a little educational program: often called polenta corn grits and it is recommended to cook it for 30-40 minutes. This is wrong: in fact, polenta is a very small cornmeal that is cooked almost instantly. Well, the classic corn porridge (hominy) from the corresponding cereal is really worth cooking a little longer. In order to cook polenta, put a pot of water on the fire (there should be 3 times more water than polenta). If the water has already boiled, slowly pour polenta into it, stirring all the time. At the same time, we make the fire very small. Then everything is like in the preparation of semolina porridge: we constantly stir the porridge and make sure that there are no lumps. Do not forget to lightly salt. After 3-5 minutes, the polenta can be considered ready.

Chop green garlic... You can add green onions to polenta instead.

Now you need to prepare the cheese - grate it on a fine grater.

We process the baking dish with vegetable oil and put the polenta in it.

Lay a layer of mushrooms and onions on top of the polenta.

Well, the final layer is cheesy. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and put our mold in it. We keep there for up to 10 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted.

Polenta with mushrooms and herbs is ready! This gruel tastes like dumplings. Nevertheless, the dish is considered very noble and claims to be the favorite delicacy of gourmets.

Try polenta with mushrooms - and see for yourself the delicious taste of that dish!

Recipe 8: tomato and meat polenta

a set of products traditional for Italian cuisine - fresh vegetables and meat, and instead of bread it is proposed to cook polenta. Polenta is a steep porridge made from finely ground corn grits, which completely replaces bread and can be served with any dish - fried fish, chicken, meat, stewed vegetables. Polenta is baked and fried in oil, boiled in milk or water, vegetable broth, make it dense, almost like bread, or more tender, reminiscent of thick porridge. In any form and in any combination, polenta is very tasty and healthy, and even if you get carried away and allow yourself a large portion of polenta, there will be no harm to your figure.

Polenta appetizer with tomatoes and meat can be served in portions, making turrets, or on a plate, supplemented with meat, vegetables and soft cheese.

• finely ground corn grits - 1 cup;
• water - 1 glass;
• milk - 2 glasses;
• lean meat (veal, beef, pork) - 300 gr;
• lard with layers of meat - 200 gr;
• salt to taste;
• mozzarella or any soft cheese - 150 gr;
• fresh tomatoes (large) - 4-5 pcs;
• any fresh herbs- for filing.

Cut the bacon into small cubes or cubes. We cut the slicing not large, but not very small, taking into account the fact that the fat will need to be melted to the cracklings.

We cut meat a little larger than lard. It is advisable to freeze the meat for polenta from corn grits slightly and then cut into neat cubes with sides of 2-2.5 cm.

We measure the right amount finely ground corn grits. In appearance, it differs markedly from corn flour, the structure of the cereal is heterogeneous, grains are clearly visible.

Heat a dry frying pan well. Pour out pieces of bacon. We melt the fat, make greaves, but don't fry them too much. Select the greaves with a slotted spoon, set the pan with fat aside for now.

Cook polenta. Pour milk into boiling water (you need to cook polenta in a cauldron).

We heat, bring the milk with water to almost a boil. Salt to taste.

Pour in 2-3 tbsp. tablespoons of melted fat. Fat is needed to make polenta with tomatoes and meat tastier and more tender in taste.

Let the milk boil. Pour all the cereals in a slide until they stir.

The milk continues to boil quietly, the cereal gradually swells. When the milk rises and almost covers the cereal, we take a crush and begin to mix the cereal with milk, as if kneading it.

Gradually, the cereal will absorb the milk, the mass will become viscous and lumpy. You need to mix the cereals well so that there are no dry areas.

Cover the cauldron with polenta with a lid. We make a small fire, steam the cereals for 20-25 minutes. It should become soft and tender, and absorb all the liquid. Near the walls, the cereal will be baked, slightly fried. Turn the cauldron with the finished polenta onto a plate so that the polenta is on the plate as a slide. Cover it with a towel and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

We put a frying pan with melted fat on high heat. Fry the meat quickly until golden brown... Salt the meat to taste. Mix the fried meat with cracklings and heat everything up.

Put the polenta on a cutting board and knead it with a layer of 3 cm. Cut out the circles with a glass. Cut the tomatoes into thick slices. Put a circle of tomato on the polenta circle.

Put crumbled mozzarella or any soft cheese, fried meat with cracklings on top of the tomato. Decorate with herbs and serve the appetizer to the table. Bon Appetit!

Recipe 9: sweet polenta with raisins and dried apricots

• 1.5 tbsp. water (or milk)
• 150 g of corn grits
• 2 tbsp Sahara
• a pinch of salt
• a handful of raisins
• a handful of dried apricots
• butter (or vegetable) butter for lubricating the mold
• maple syrup or honey for serving

Bring the milk to a boil, add cereal, sugar, salt, cook on low heat under a lid for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the porridge is cooking, rinse the raisins with hot water, pour the dried apricots with boiling water for 10 minutes, then cut into pieces equal in size to the raisins.

Grease the rectangular shape with butter.

When the porridge is ready, add raisins and dried apricots to it, mix, put in a mold, level with a spatula.

Allow polenta to cool, then cut into slices, pour over maple syrup or honey when serving. Polenta can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.

Recipe 10: polenta casserole with vegetables

I suggest you cook puff casserole polenta with vegetables. This lean vegan dish is easy to prepare. You can take any vegetables according to the season and to your taste. I really like polenta with vegetables, see the classic recipe with a photo step by step below.

• 1 cup cornmeal
• about 2 liters of water,
• 1 carrot,
• half an onion,
• half sweet pepper,
• a few cauliflower inflorescences,
• 2 zucchini,
• a slice of eggplant,
• 4 tablespoons tomatoes in juice or diluted tomato paste,
• 1 tbsp olive oil,
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp paprika.

Polenta corn flour is of two types: classic and fast food... Boil the polenta until tender, as indicated on the package. Flour is poured into boiling salted water and boiled, stirring, until thickened.

While the polenta is cooking, let's get to the vegetables. Cut the onions and carrots into small cubes.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onions and carrots in it.

When the onion becomes transparent, add finely chopped cauliflower and diced bell peppers. Cover the vegetables with a lid.

At this stage, add tomatoes in juice to vegetables or tomato paste so that the vegetables are stewed in it and do not burn. We simmer vegetables for five minutes.

For now, cut the zucchini and eggplant into small cubes.

After five minutes, put the zucchini and eggplant in the pan, season the vegetables with salt, pepper and sweet paprika. Stir, simmer the vegetables under the lid for another 5 minutes, that is, until half cooked.

Pour the finished polenta (half) into a rectangular dish covered with baking paper. The polenta should be hot, fresh from the fire. So it is still liquid and it is convenient to work with it.

Put it quickly on polenta vegetable filling and level with a spoon.

Pour the second half of the hot polenta onto the vegetables, completely covering the filling with it. We level the surface, if necessary. You can drizzle olive oil on the vegetable puff casserole.

We send the polenta to the oven to bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees. During this time, the vegetables will become softer and the polenta denser. The surface of the casserole is slightly browned. You will definitely like this polenta with vegetables, the classic recipe with a photo is very simple step by step, so everyone can cook this delicious casserole.

Allow the polenta to cool slightly before cutting into portions. Serve warm.

Porridge is a versatile product because it can be served with fruit, meat or fish. Corn porridge is healthy, but at the same time, it can be harmful. However, it is widespread in many European countries.

Everyone is well aware of corn, but few know about the properties of such a product as corn porridge, which can be cooked in water or milk. Groats have a large number of beneficial properties for the human body, have a small number of contraindications. In order to understand what is the use of corn flour, who should not abuse products from it, it is necessary to understand its calorie content and properties. Also relevant questions: "Is it possible for pregnant women or does it harm and is it worth eating it for weight loss?"

Types of cereals

Among them are:

• Coarsely ground. Its scope is the preparation of flakes, created from pieces of corn grain.
• Sanded. It has rounded sides, because it lends itself to grinding on special equipment.
• Finely ground. Its scope is the manufacture of sweet sticks.

Most often, polished cereals are used to cook porridge in water or milk.

Calorie porridge from corn grits

This product, cooked in water, has a low calorie content, therefore it is considered dietary and is harmful to people with the disease - anorexia. It satisfies hunger and saturates the body with the vitamins it needs.

The number of calories contained in such necessary product nutrition for the human body is only 328 units per 100 grams, 71 grams of carbohydrates, 8.3 - proteins, 1.2 - fats. She will be a great option for light breakfast... Thanks to this, cereals are widely used for weight loss and pregnancy. It gives a feeling of satiety.

The composition of chemical elements, vitamins in corn porridge

Corn porridge is unique in its composition, as it contains B vitamins: 1 and 2, E, H and A, as well as PP. In addition, it is rich in calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, nickel, copper, silicon, beta-carotene, which are so beneficial for the human body. The often underestimated benefits of cornmeal are high in vegetable protein containing tryptophan, histidine, and other valuable substances. Due to its chemical composition, it is perfect for weight loss, it will be one of the main products during pregnancy.

Important! Cereals boiled in water or milk are good for children and adults, but you should buy only fresh cereals and store them in a dry place.

The benefits of cornmeal porridge

Why is corn porridge useful? To understand this issue, you need to analyze it. chemical composition... Its beneficial properties are:

• hypoallergenic. This property makes it possible to use it in cooking baby food... It can be eaten during pregnancy;
• use for medicinal purposes. Cereal is used in medical nutrition for people with pathological bowel disease; it is included in the diet of people with blood diseases, as it helps in regulating the level of cholesterol in the blood;
• use for weight loss. A slender silhouette is the scourge of the modern world, so most people strive to lose weight. Nutritionists recommend that there is this cereal cooked in water, since it allows you to saturate the body with all the necessary components and trace elements, is an excellent means for losing weight, removes fats from the body, normalizes digestion in general;
• removal of toxins helps to normalize the digestive system, lose weight;
• allows you to improve the condition of the skin and, accordingly, the appearance, due to the organization of the production of the beneficial substance elastin;
• saturates the body with fiber;
• the presence of folic acid. This component is necessary for the mother during pregnancy. In addition, it allows the child to form a healthy body, because he is saturated with nutrients that are transferred to him from the mother;
• allows you to strengthen the cardiovascular and nervous system.

The benefits of corn porridge cooked in water or milk are obvious, and as you can see from the properties listed above, it should be included in the diet. The usefulness of corn flour should not be neglected by both children and mothers during pregnancy and the elderly.

Contraindications or to whom corn cereal porridge is harmful

This product has many beneficial properties, however, it has contraindications. You should not eat corn porridge:

• Those people who have a disease such as an ulcer of the gastrointestinal tract. Porridge gives a feeling of full saturation, although it is not very high in calories.
• People with low body weight, especially those suffering from dystrophy. This is due to the low calorie content of porridge, but fast satiety. It is vital for such people to gain weight, so food should be high in calories, and low in calories will not give the desired result.

These are all cases when cornmeal porridge can harm the body.

For complete confidence in the absence of a negative effect, you should consult a doctor, then you will be able to fully enjoy the good taste of this product. An important fact is that there are no contraindications during pregnancy, therefore, cereals are not harmful.

How to cook hominy correctly

Mamalyga is a steep porridge made from corn flour, which has many beneficial properties, but can harm a person with stomach ulcers or anorexia. It is necessary during pregnancy. For weight loss, nutritionists recommend cooking it in water, but it would be more correct to cook it in milk.

Particular attention should be paid to the preparation of porridge in milk.

The ingredients you need are 300 grams of milk and five tablespoons of cereal, salt and sugar are added to taste.

Milk must be brought to a boil, then add cereal and the required amount of salt and sugar. Milk porridge should be cooked over low heat for at least 8 minutes. When cooking, it requires constant stirring. Then the fire turns off. The porridge must be left for 20 minutes to languish. In this case, the pan must be covered with a lid. Ready-made hominy can be served with fruits or berries, as well as with meat, salad, fish. The calorie content of porridge is directly dependent on what it is cooked on. Therefore, it should be borne in mind that the water will be less high in calories than boiled in milk.

Some symptoms of the appearance:

• excessive sweating;
• weakening of the immune system, frequent colds;
• weakness, fatigue;
• nervous state, depression;
• headaches and migraines;
• alternating diarrhea and constipation;
• want sweet and sour;
• bad breath;
• frequent feeling of hunger;
• weight loss problems;
• decreased appetite;
• night grinding of teeth, drooling;
• pain in the abdomen, joints, muscles;
• the cough does not go away;
• acne on the skin.

If you have any of the symptoms or doubt the causes of the ailments, you need to cleanse your body as soon as possible. Read how to do this here.

If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.

Corn porridge - its benefits and harms are still very few people in our country. The thing is that, as a culture, the queen of the fields came to us less than a century ago. Meanwhile, in countries where corn is a frequent guest on the table, all the advantages and disadvantages of cereal porridge have long been studied. Let's figure it out.

Why is corn porridge useful?

The most important advantage of this dish over other types of cereals is the full preservation of vitamins after heat treatment. But there are a lot of them in the croup. These are vitamins A, B, P, E. Agree, you rarely find such a set anywhere. Plus, trace elements:

• silicon
• iron
• phosphorus
• selenium
• potassium

All this allows mamalyga (polenta) to be called the queen by right. After all, it is enough just to eat 3 tbsp. l. corn porridge per day to cover one third of the adult human body's need for these microelements.

But not only this is useful corn porridge. She has several more positive qualities:

1. Helps to lose weight. Corn grits contain a large amount of coarse fiber, but at the same time it is considered one of the lowest in calories (not strictly dietary). Very fast saturation when consumed, but low energy value... Naturally, no added sugar or oil.
2. Cleans the intestines. All thanks to the same high fiber content, corn porridge makes peristalsis work actively. Some doctors even recommend it for minor stool problems.
3. Helps blood vessels. It has been scientifically proven that regular consumption of corn porridge significantly reduces the risk of many diseases of the cardiovascular system. This is due to the fact that it copes well with bad cholesterol, thereby reducing the risk of plaque and blockages.
4. It is considered hypoallergenic. Some sources recommend adding cornmeal to the children's diet. Indeed, it rarely causes diathesis or allergies. But it should be remembered that saturation occurs very quickly. Usually a child under the age of 7 eats literally 2-3 tablespoons. Consider and do not force the child through force.
5. It is possible and necessary during pregnancy. Corn porridge is a good source of folate. And expectant mothers and children need this element. Therefore, some doctors strongly recommend this supplement to the menu of pregnant women. In addition, there is no rapid weight gain, as is the case with other cereals.
6. Retains beauty. Due to the high content of vitamins A and E, corn porridge is the guardian of the beauty of skin, hair and nails. Just 2 times a week is enough to eat 150 g. Changes will become noticeable after 2 months of regular intake.
7. Prevents the development of tumors. Independent experts conducted their own research and even published scientific work to prove it. It turns out that yellow and orange cereals contain a special substance. It significantly reduces the risk of cancer, neoplasms, and other tumors. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to eat kilograms of corn grits. It is enough just to use it regularly and without long breaks.
8. Helps the hematopoietic system. Have you forgotten? Corn grits contain iron and copper. Without these elements, there is a high risk of earning low hemoglobin and anemia. Of course, they are not in huge quantities, and corn porridge is not able to cover daily rate... But as a companion product - very much support and help.

As you can see, the benefits of cornmeal porridge are great and multifaceted. And it is very sad that this wonderful dish is still not widely spread on our tables.

the benefits and harms of semolina

Why is corn porridge harmful?

Despite all the benefits of cornmeal porridge, there are some restrictions on its use.

First: people with individual intolerance to corn and gluten, differently gluten. But these are potatoes and almost all types of cereals. No doubt, hominy (or polenta) rarely causes an allergic reaction. But the exception is a special type of allergy sufferers. Therefore, if you know your diagnosis for sure, refrain from even trying. The consequences can be the most dire.

Second: for diabetics of all types. Only the lazy one does not know that people with such a disease must strictly monitor their diet. And cornmeal porridge cannot be put on the diabetic's menu in any way. The fact is that the croup itself has a high glycemic index... And at heat treatment it only grows. Therefore, with caution and in strictly limited doses. And it would be better to replace it with alternative types of cereals.

Thirdly: people with various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. We have already talked about the high content of coarse fibers of insoluble fiber. A healthy person benefits from this. Cleaning, slight indulgence. But to a person with a stomach ulcer or weak intestines - only harm, because it irritates the already inflamed walls. Therefore, it is difficult for a sick body to cope with such food. There are no "but" and "or" here. Strict contraindication, period.

Fourth: people with anorexia. Children who eat poorly or are underweight (dystrophy). Fast satisfying hunger with low calorie content will play into the hands of losing weight or obese people. But with slender comrades, cornmeal porridge can play a cruel joke.

From the above, it is clear that porridge from the queen of the fields is not so terrible. It brings incomparably more benefits. But, if there is a choice before proper nutrition or by your own curiosity, then ... go to the doctor. Only your personal doctor can give you competent recommendations on the use of corn porridge in an acceptable rate. Well, that is if you are going to try or have some diagnoses.

the benefits and harms of buckwheat porridge

Interesting facts about corn porridge

Did you know that corn grits can act as a kind of antidepressant? At the same time, it also relieves muscle tension. And due to the high content of B vitamins, it helps to cope with some neurological problems. Naturally, coupled with competent treatment, and not as an independent medicine.

By the way, as an indirect prevention of deviations in the psychological sphere, corn porridge is simply irreplaceable. It also cheers you up.

Many nutritionists advise eating corn porridge in the morning, and preferably for breakfast. So the body will receive its dose of proteins and carbohydrates, which will allow you to stay full for a long time at low cost.

If you eat such a dish at night, you can safely expect unpleasant surprises from the body (nausea, diarrhea, heaviness in the stomach). In general, it is better to eat any types of cereals in the morning, because carbohydrates after 4 pm are not good for the stomach and figure.

Recommendations for cooking porridge from corn grits in most sources say the cooking time is no more than 8 minutes. It is immediately clear that the authors 100%, no, even 500% did not cook it on their own. Well, let them try. Why?

Because after 8 minutes of boiling with corn grits there will be nothing! From the word at all. You will gnaw raw and swear abusively.

The normal cooking time for corn porridge is at least 40 minutes, and then until cooked. That is how much time it takes for the crumbs to boil, and you do not spit with food afterwards, cursing the recipe and healthy eating.

And a couple more cooking secrets that will help you cook the perfect and healthiest corn porridge. First, and very important rule- interfere! Stir constantly, very often. The insidiousness of the grits is that it strives to adhere almost instantly to the walls and bottom of the saucepan. Therefore, interfere, from the very beginning to the last splash.

The second rule will avoid clumping. Absolutely all sources suggest adding corn grits to boiling water. If necessary, it is advised to knead the lumps with a crush or fork. Why such a headache? Catch the secret: Corn grits are perfectly wetted with cold water without the slightest lumps. And only then is the saucepan set on the fire. The dish will turn out to be perfect when stirring.

Well, we found out a maximum of information on the topic: corn porridge - the benefits and harms. Now you know exactly who can use this dish, and who is categorically contraindicated. Be healthy!

health benefits and harms of pea porridge

Video: Cooking Corn Porridge with Milk

If corn, as a food product, is familiar to all of us firsthand, then corn porridge cannot be called an ordinary dish on the tables of our country. But this is one of the most useful and delicious cereals.

Corn porridge is an traditional dish in the cuisines of many nations of the world. First of all, in Central and South America, also in Europe.

Corn porridge - composition and calorie content

In order to better understand why corn porridge is so useful, you need to know what vitamins and minerals are included in its composition. And there are really a lot of useful substances in this fragrant porridge:

• B vitamins - B9 (folic acid), Vitamin B1 (thiamin), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), Vitamin H (biotin),
• vitamins A, E, PP
• biotin
• minerals: phosphorus, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, etc.

Carbohydrates: 71 g.
Proteins: 8.3 g.
Fat: 1.2 g.

Calorie content: 328 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Why is corn porridge useful?

Corn porridge extremely light and useful, especially for those who sit on low calorie diet... Due to the high content of vitamins, minerals, corn porridge:

• Improves the appearance and condition of our skin thanks to the combination of vitamins A, E and copper, which together participate in the production of elastin;

• Removes toxins:

• Reduces blood cholesterol levels, and hence the risk of cardiovascular disease;

• Regulates bowel function;

• Improves metabolism;

• Helps to get rid of extra pounds, removes fat from the body.

Corn porridge - contraindications and harm

Unfortunately, there are practically no products that are equally useful for everyone, without exception. However, there are practically no contraindications for corn porridge. Compared to other cereals, it is not very high in calories, does not contain gluten, therefore it is dietary product... Of course, if you cook it in water.

However, it is worth refraining from consuming corn porridge for those with stomach ulcers. Since it quickly creates a feeling of fullness, while not being a high-calorie product, it is not recommended for those who are underweight and who are vitally important to gain weight.

As you can see, there are very few contraindications and harm in corn porridge, so you can sometimes safely cook it for your family, diversify your daily diet.

It is equally useful for pregnant women and children.

How to choose corn grits

Depending on traditions, habits, characteristics national cuisines, corn porridges are different. Corn grits usually differ in grain size and color. It depends on the production methods and the type of corn.

In Romania and Moldova, it is believed that good corn grits should have a bright yellow, almost orange color. After all delicious porridge obtained only from certain varieties of corn.

In addition, it is extremely important that the cereal is as fresh as possible, the fresher it is - the more delicious and aromatic the porridge will be.

Another selection criterion is the size and uniformity of the grains. The most delicious porridge is obtained from cereals in which the particles are approximately the same size, it is clean, without traces of husks.

How to cook corn porridge properly

Everything is fine with corn porridge, there is only one problem, it is very capricious in preparation and requires constant stirring. This is not an exaggeration, the slightest exclusion and it will stick to the sides and bottom of any surface and burn.

How to avoid lump formation?

Method one. This is probably the most reliable method. It is precisely this that is used by Moldovans who know how to make hominy (yes, not everyone can do it, only some).

The method is quite simple: if for porridge you need about 3 cups of water for 1 cup of cereal, then to begin with, only 1.5 - 2 cups of water are poured into the cauldron. When the water has boiled, add a pinch of salt and begin to slowly pour in the cereal. It turns out the porridge is initially too thick, but this is the very moment when, if lumps have formed, it is very easy to crush them and stirring, to give the porridge a uniform consistency. Then it remains only to slowly add all the remaining water.

Method two: This method is clearly described in the video at the end of the post (polenta recipe from Elena Chekalova). The idea is also simple: despite the fact that everyone is advised to wait until the water boils to add the cereal, however, to avoid the formation of lumps, you need to add the cereal carefully, like semolina, but in hot, not yet boiled water.

The classic corn porridge recipe

The most important thing to know before proceeding to cooking corn porridge is that it is very moody and sticks to almost any surface. Therefore, take a cauldron or saucepan with the best non-stick coating that you have in your kitchen.

The main rules for cooking corn porridge:

1. Water or milk should be 3 times more than cereals. You can have a little more liquid if you like thinner cereals.
2. Stir the corn porridge all the time, from the beginning to the end of cooking, otherwise there is a risk of sticking to the bottom and forming lumps.

Water (3k1) with a pinch of salt is poured into a saucepan or cauldron, put on high heat and wait until the water / milk boils. Then the fire must be reduced to a minimum and a little, stirring all the time, add the cereal. From this moment you cannot leave the stove, if possible, you need to stir all the time for about 20 minutes until the porridge is cooked. At the end, add a piece of butter.

Recipe Italian polenta

It is prepared in the same way as porridge, only almost always in water and without added sugar, only salt.

In fact, Italian polenta is absolutely no different from hominy, only Italians eat it more exquisitely, probably. Now you will understand why:

Hominy with meat, feta cheese and sour cream

Grilled polenta with eggplant, bell pepper and arugula. Olive oil dressing with balsamic vinegar.

In general, Italians love beauty and that's it! I personally like the Moldovan version more, from my own experience I know how tasty it is.

Polenta(Italian Polenta) is an Italian dish that is corn porridge. Despite the sonorous name, this dish is quite simple. In fact, this is the most common steep porridge made from crushed grains of corn or corn flour, an analogue of the well-known hominy (Moldavian, Romanian, Caucasian, Western Ukrainian and Cossack national dish).

Polenta is especially popular in northern Italy, in the Italian part of Switzerland, and also in!

Historical reference

Only in the XVI century. corn got to Europe, where it was brought by ships from America.

She very quickly took root on European soil and easily gained popularity, becoming an ingredient in many dishes. The prototype of corn polenta is considered to be the ancient Roman porridge "pulse" (Italian Ruls or Рulmentum). Being culinary masterpiece Italian cuisine, polenta was originally a simple meal of Italian peasants and the poor. Traditionally, the food was prepared in a large copper kettle, mixing corn grits with water and stirring the mass over low heat until thickened. Then the composition was cooled on a wooden tray, the frozen polenta was cut into strips and dried a little. In this form, it was stored and eaten for several days; pieces of polenta were usually taken with them on the road.

Simple polenta was flavored with only salt and aromatic herbs; instead of cheese, the poor added dry bread crumbs. More prosperous peasants fried strips of polenta in oil, stewed, baked, poured various sauces.

So a simple peasant corn porridge was the ancestor of many dishes that have become a masterpiece of Italian cuisine.

Over time, with invention different recipes based on polenta, they began to serve it in expensive restaurants, satisfying the needs of the most demanding gourmets.

Today there is great amount options for its preparation, for every taste.

It is used as a side dish and as an independent dish with various additives (with meat, cheese, mushrooms, vegetables, anchovies, fruits), fried, baked, etc. Sometimes it is hard polenta (you can buy it in stores) and soft. It can also be sweet and served for dessert.

A few words about the benefits and harms

The main component is corn grits (flour), which contains potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, biotin, fiber, proteins and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins of groups A, B, necessary for the human body , E, PP and other mass. Calorie content: 100 calories per 100 g.

Classic polenta

Some of the beneficial properties

• Regular consumption of polenta can help lower bad cholesterol levels.
• Corn is good for the cardiovascular system: thanks to vitamin C, the walls of blood vessels and the heart muscle are strengthened.
• Including cornmeal in your diet, you can normalize metabolism, it improves the functioning of all body systems and contributes to weight loss.
• Fiber, which is part of polenta, normalizes digestion, actively cleanses the intestines, removing toxins and toxins.
• Polenta is extremely beneficial for the skin, as corn contains vitamins A and E, which are necessary for nourishing and moisturizing the skin.
• This dish can rightfully be called dietary. Polenta is low in calories, but gives a feeling of satiety for a long time, which contributes to the normalization of body weight (this is very important today).
• The phosphorus in corn is very beneficial for the brain, improving brain activity.
• Zinc is known to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.
• Iron, which is part of corn grits, is necessary for the prevention and treatment of anemia.
• Corn grits are gluten-free, which means the dish can be considered hypoallergenic, and people with food allergies can safely include polenta in their diet.

As for the harm, the dish is contraindicated for those suffering from stomach ulcers and with gastritis in the acute stage. And finally, when using polenta, observe the measure, otherwise, being overly carried away, you can provoke constipation.

How to cook yourself at home

For polenta, it is advisable to use yellow or white corn flour. If you want the polenta to have a thicker consistency, choose a coarse flour.

Cooking method:

1. To prepare the dish, you need special dishes with a thick bottom, not aluminum or enamelled. A cauldron is great.
2. Pour 1 liter of water into the cauldron, add 1 glass of cereal and put on low heat.
3. Cook for 40 minutes to an hour, stirring constantly, until the polenta begins to lag behind the walls of the dish.
4. The porridge needs to be salted, pepper to taste, mixed, covered and removed from heat. Then it is made either soft or hard. While it is hot, it is important to decide what kind of dish you want to get in the end.
5. It remains to transfer the composition to a tray, give it the desired shape and cool.

How to serve?

Ready polenta can be baked, fried in oil in a pan, grilled, then served with meat or fish as a side dish. The dish goes well with vegetables and all kinds of sauces.

Sweet polenta is an amazing dessert for tea. It can be served with cream, jams, preserves, syrups, etc.

1. To make soft polenta, add a little milk, herbs and a piece of butter to a saucepan. Soft p. Will be a wonderful side dish for any main dish, instead of the usual ubiquitous potatoes.
2. To make the polenta harden enough, add hard grated cheese, butter and a little wine to the finished corn porridge. Stir the porridge quickly, place on a greased baking sheet, smooth with a spatula and leave for 20-30 minutes. When the dish hardens, turn the baking sheet onto a wooden tray and, until it is completely hardened, cut into the desired pieces.
3. Pieces of polenta can be grilled, pan, oven baked and served with a variety of sauces.
4. Add different spices and seasonings, experiment with taste.
5. The consistency of the porridge can be controlled by changing the proportions of water and flour.
6. The hard item is cut with a regular sharp knife, pizza cutter, or strong thread.
7. Prepare for polenta various sauces(bechamel and tomato, cheese, sour cream, mushroom) or just vegetable stew... With polenta, everything will be incredibly tasty. Experiment and enjoy!

Curious facts

Delicious breakfast

Its recipe was found in the original book of Russian authors "At the Table with Nero Wolfe or Secrets of the Kitchen of a Great Detective." Nero Wolfe, as you know, is both a great detective and a great gourmet, to be honest, a great glutton who is the main character of R. Stout's detective series. According to the plot, the famous detective had a personal chef, Fritz Brenner, best cook New York, which in the course of the narrative treats the gourmet hero with all sorts of delights. The authors of The Culinary Detective (S. Sinelnikov, T. Solomonik, I. Lazerson) in their book give recipes for many dishes mentioned in Stout's novels.

Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than for yourself))

Content

Corn italian porridge, which has gained fame all over the world, is called polenta. Having gained recognition in northern Italy, the dish became popular in Slovenia, Serbia, Moldova, etc. Polenta is universal: it is served with cheese, meat, berries, fruits. Depending on the recipe, the dish can be served both for breakfast and for a family dinner as a main course or instead of dessert.

What is polenta

Polenta, a dish of Italian cuisine, is a porridge made from crushed corn, which is in demand not only in its native country. It is common in the northern regions of Italy: in Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italian cantons in Switzerland. In other countries, polenta has a different name: for Slovenia it is "zhgantsy", for Dalmatia - "pulenta", for Serbia - "cacamak", for Moldova - "mamalyga".

Polenta recipes

Initially, groats were added to a deep large copper cauldron without refueling, served as food for the poor population of Italy. Later, improved recipes appeared with the addition of mushrooms (champignons, shiitake), cheese, meat ( chicken fillet), vegetables (there is a recipe with tomatoes and celery) and seafood (shrimp). The versatility of polenta is that it can be served hot or cold, salted, sweet, creamy, hard or soft.

Classic recipe

• Time: 50 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 6 Persons.
• Caloric content: 105.9 kcal.
• Purpose: for breakfast, afternoon tea, for children.
• Cuisine: Italian.
• Difficulty: easy.

The classic Italian polenta made from corn grits is a thick porridge that is served without additional flavoring ingredients: no cheese, meat, seafood, etc. You can cook a dish for breakfast, afternoon tea or to please your family for no reason. The pluses of corn grits include versatility: you can serve it with salt or sugar, cold or hot, it all depends on your taste preferences.

Ingredients:

• water - 1 liter;
• coarsely ground corn grits - 250 grams;
• salt - 1 teaspoon;
• butter - 50 grams.

Cooking method:

1. For cooking, you need a pan with thick walls made of copper or cast iron, or a cauldron. If such a device is not in use, an ordinary saucepan with a thick bottom, into which water is poured, will do.
2. Boiling water should be salted, add corn grits, stirring with a wooden spoon.
3. Reduce heat to low, simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring constantly. The polenta will begin to separate from the sides and bottom of the pot.
4. When the mixture turns into homogeneous mass, put it on a cutting board, with a spatula, shape into a square, cool.
5. Cured polenta can be sliced ​​and served with melted butter on top.

With cheese

• Time: 1 hour 10 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 4 Persons.
• Caloric content: 368.7 kcal.
• Purpose: side dish for lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Italian.
• Difficulty: easy.

Corn polenta with cheeses is perfect for lunch and dinner as a main course or side dish. Serve hot or cold. Use vegetable or meat broth instead of water for a rich flavor. Cooking does not take long. The hostesses wait longer for the mixture to harden. You can not waste time on this, but immediately divide the porridge in portions. This will not change the taste, but the aesthetic presentation - yes.

Ingredients:

• water - 0.5 liters;
• three types of cheese: cream (processed), blue, hard - 200, 100, 100 grams;
• greens (dill, parsley) - to taste;
• salt to taste;
• butter - 50 grams;
• thyme - 0.5 teaspoon.

Cooking method:

1. Boil water or broth in a thick-sided saucepan, add salt, cornmeal. Stir until thick. If desired, grated cheese can be added five minutes before removing the cereal from the heat.
2. Place the mixture in a greased baking dish and smooth over the surface. Wait until it cools completely, then cut the polenta into pieces.
3. While the porridge is cooling, mash the blue cheese with a fork, add the herbs, thyme and cream cheese... Stir the mixture until smooth.
4. Put baking paper on a baking sheet, place polenta on it, brush it with a mixture of cheeses. Cover each piece of cheese with another piece (second layer).
5. Grate hard cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes in the oven at 190 degrees until a crust appears.

Milk

• Time: 30 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 7 Persons.
• Caloric content: 152 kcal.
• Purpose: for breakfast.
• Cuisine: Italian.
• Difficulty: medium.

Polenta made from corn flour in milk is soft, creamy and tender. Porridge will delight you with a pleasant taste for breakfast, especially if served with toppings or jam. The set of ingredients is similar to the classic polenta with the addition of milk. How to serve corn porridge in an original way: cut out figures (circles, stars, hearts, etc.) from the hardened mixture and pour milk over them.

Ingredients:

• water - 0.75 liters;
• milk to taste;
• salt to taste;
• sugar to taste;
• butter to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Pour water into a saucepan, bring it to a boil and season with salt. Reduce heat to low, and gently add corn grits.
2. Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring constantly. When the cereal is soft, add the milk and continue cooking. Determine the density of the future dish yourself: if you like thick coarse porridge, then wait for complete thickening, if not, remove it a little earlier.
3. When the cereal is ready, put sugar and a piece of butter in it, cover with a lid for 5 minutes.
4. Roll out the finished cereal on a flat surface, cut the figures out of it with a knife or special molds. Next, you should wait until the jewelry has cooled and hardened and pour milk over them.

With mushrooms

• Time: 50 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 4 Persons.
• Caloric content: 545 kcal.
• Purpose: dinner, family lunch.
• Cuisine: Italian.
• Difficulty: medium.

Polenta with mushrooms can be enjoyed at a dinner or lunch for the whole family. For this, it is better to use portioned molds or clay pots. For a bright taste, before serving, the dish can be seasoned with chopped parsley, and various sauces (garlic, tomato) can be placed on the table. Before placing the mushrooms on top, in the summer you can grill the tortilla, and in the winter - in a pan.

Ingredients:

• water - 0.75 liters;
• corn grits - 330 grams;
• dried mushrooms- 15 grams;
• shiitake mushrooms - 225 grams;
• champignons - 225 grams;
• olive oil - 1 tablespoon;
• vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon;
• butter - 30 grams;
• head onions- 1 PC.;
• marjoram - to taste;
• fresh finely chopped oregano - 1 teaspoon.

Cooking method:

1. Pour boiling water over the dried mushrooms and leave them to infuse for 30 minutes. Thinly slice the shiitake mushrooms and champignons after removing the legs and rinsing them.
2. Place a skillet over medium heat and fry the onions in olive oil.
3. Remove the bow. Add the butter and oil to the remaining olive oil in the skillet. Fry mushrooms (except dry ones), ground pepper and oregano in the mixture for 10 minutes. All this time, the products need to be stirred.
4. Drain and filter the liquid from dried mushrooms, leave 175 ml. Rinse the mushrooms and chop.
5. Add the onion back to the pan, add the dried mushrooms to it, pour in the liquid from under them. Remove from heat after one minute after simmering.
6. Cook the porridge: Add cornmeal to boiling salty water. Stir and cook until thick. Put the cereals in a mold, let cool.
7. Cut the porridge into pieces, and on each piece, place the mushroom stew and marjoram. Garnish with oregano.

In a multicooker

• Time: 70 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 2 Persons.
• Caloric content: 105.9 kcal.
• Purpose: breakfast, lunch.
• Cuisine: Italian.
• Difficulty: easy.

In a multicooker classic porridge Polenta is easier and easier to cook than over a fire. Corn tortilla can be cooked for breakfast, served with dinner instead of bread, as Italians do, or after cooking add vegetables (for example, peeled tomatoes, carrots or paprika) and enjoy as a separate dish. To prepare polenta in a multicooker, two modes are used: cooking and baking.

Ingredients:

• water - 0.75 liters;
• corn grits - 330 grams;
• butter - 30 grams;
• Parmesan cheese - 30 grams;
• salt to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse the cornmeal in cold water, then dry it.
2. Put the porridge in the multicooker bowl, fill it with water. Add salt to taste and a small piece of butter to the cereal. Close the lid of the multicooker and cook in the appropriate mode for 50 minutes until tender.
3. After the end of the cooking process, sprinkle the surface of the dense porridge with grated Parmesan. Close the lid and bake the porridge in the desired mode for 10 minutes.
4. Serve with fresh vegetables.

With pumpkin

• Time: 40 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 4 Persons.
• Caloric content: 133 kcal.
• Cuisine: Italian.
• Difficulty: easy.

Polenta with pumpkin can be enjoyed by children for breakfast or served as a dessert for an afternoon snack. In winter, porridge will help fill the body with vitamins and useful substances... The bright orange color cheers up, “warms” and mentally brings the onset of spring closer. The groats are soft, tender, sweetish in taste, which will please both children and adults with a sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

• water - 0.6 liters;
• corn grits - 200 grams;
• butter - 40 grams;
• pumpkin - 100 grams;
• sage - 5 grams;
• parmesan - 100 grams;
• salt to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse the corn grits, add water, salt.
2. While stirring, bring the porridge to a boil over medium heat.
3. Reduce the heat to a minimum, cook the porridge, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
4. Add pumpkin puree with sage, cook for 15 minutes, until the porridge begins to move away from the walls.
5. Remove porridge from heat, add parmesan and butter.
6. Serve hot.

With spinach

• Time: 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 6 Persons.
• Caloric content: 361 kcal.
• Purpose: lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Italian.
• Difficulty: easy.

The spinach polenta recipe comes in two flavors: vegetarian and non-vegetarian. For the second option, you'll find bacon in the ingredients list, but you can do without it. The dish can be served hot or cold for lunch or dinner. Prepare polenta in advance in molds, and when the time comes to serve lunch or dinner to the table, just reheat the porridge in the oven.

Ingredients:

• water - 1 liter;
• corn grits - 330 grams;
• eggs - 4 pcs.;
• butter - 10 grams;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• spinach - 1 bunch;
• cheese - 100 grams;
• milk - 50 grams;
• bacon - 2 pieces;
• vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons;
• smoked brisket - 200 grams;
• salt to taste;
• pepper to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the onion and brisket into small cubes. Fry the ingredients in vegetable oil for 5 minutes until the onions are soft.
2. Add the chopped spinach to the skillet and stir for 30 seconds to loosen the spinach. Remove ingredients from heat.
3. Cook polenta.
4. While the porridge is boiling, mix the eggs and milk. Whisk the ingredients.
5. Add grated cheese, bacon, onion and spinach to the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Grease a baking dish with butter, lay out the porridge, fill it with the mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese 10 minutes before cooking, let it brew in the oven.
7. Cut the slightly cooled polenta into pieces. You can serve the dish to the table.

With shrimps

• Time: 80 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 4 Persons.
• Caloric content: 330 kcal.
• Purpose: lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Italian.
• Difficulty: difficult.

Shrimp polenta is truly a royal dish. It can be served not only to family dinner or dinner. Shrimp porridge will be served on the table for a holiday, for example, as an independent hot dish for a birthday, anniversary or Christmas. Cooking porridge will take a little time and culinary skills. But the guests will be satisfied with the unusual taste and ask for more.

Ingredients:

• corn flour - 250 grams;
• cheddar cheese - 50 grams;
• butter - 40 grams;
• grated parmesan - 30 grams;
• vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons;
• bacon - 4 pieces;
• medium peeled shrimps - 30 pieces;
• champignons - 6 pieces;
• garlic - 1 clove;
• lemons - 1 piece;
• chicken broth - 100 ml;
• Tabasco sauce - 1 teaspoon;
• green onions - 4 stems;
• salt to taste;
• black pepper to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Bring four cups of water to a gentle boil. Add cornmeal, stirring water, cook for half an hour.
2. Stir in grated cheddar, parmesan, 20 grams of butter. Season with salt and pepper, cover.
3. Preheat a skillet, add bacon in small cubes, fry for 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Leave the melted fat in the pan.
4. Salt and pepper the shrimps, put in the pan. Roast 2 minutes, during which time turn over once. Transfer to a serving dish.
5. Throw thinly sliced ​​mushrooms into the pan. Simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally, add chopped garlic, cook for another minute. Pour in the broth, let the liquid boil down by a third.
6. Put back the shrimp, add a tablespoon lemon juice, butter, tabasco sauce. Cook for another minute.
7. Arrange food on plates, top with shrimp. Sprinkle each serving with bacon and chopped onions.

Polenta sweet

• Time: 30 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 2 Persons.
• Caloric content: 170 kcal.
• Purpose: breakfast, afternoon tea.
• Cuisine: Italian.
• Difficulty: easy.

You can diversify the taste of Italian polenta not only with cheese, spinach, shrimp or bacon. If you are a lover of sweets, you can make a dish with berries and fruits, season the porridge with sugar instead of salt, or peanut butter instead of Tabasco sauce. Beneficial features polenta replaces the famous morning oatmeal. Sweet taste will please both children and adults.

Ingredients:

• corn flour - 100 grams;
• water - 0.5 ml;
• apple - 1 pc.;
• peanut butter - 1 tbsp l .;
• raisins - a handful to taste;
• berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries) - a handful to taste;
• cinnamon to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Pour the cornmeal into a saucepan, add water, stirring, and bring to a boil.
2. Add chopped apple, raisins. Continue cooking for 7-8 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low, add peanut butter, stir porridge.
4. Place in a bowl, garnish with berries and cinnamon.

How and with what is better to serve

Polenta can be served as a main course or as a side dish; baked or fried, it is a bread substitute. Porridge is combined with complex culinary delights (Burgundy beef, fish dishes e.g. cod), sauces. Italians are cooking garlic Sause on butter with the addition of herbs (parsley, dill). The Italians serve the dish like this: they warm up pieces of porridge, decorate it with feta cubes and slices of pickled cucumbers.

Video

Found a mistake in the text? Select it, press Ctrl + Enter and we'll fix it!

Looking for a classic polenta recipe? Well, I think to myself: if you come here, it means that you are interested, and it is in the classics, and not in what is written on the package. So, my dears, I have to disappoint you. Right from the start. Take a look at this photo. Do you have such a boiler? No? If not, then you will not be able to get the classic polenta, no matter what recipe you use to cook it. Because the classic polenta is made in a thick-walled copper pot over a wood fire. Basta! (By the way, "basta" is Italian.)

On a wood fire - this does not mean "on the fire." In Italy, until the end of the twentieth century, wood-burning stoves were very actively used in villages. And not only in Italy, by the way. If, say, you have a wood stove in your country house, then you have a chance to cook a classic polenta. The only snag is the thick-walled copper boiler. Both wall thickness and material are very important. Copper is the most thermally conductive material used in cookware. It heats up very quickly and cools down just as quickly when you remove the dishes from the heat. Well, the thickness of the boiler allows it to be used even in extreme heat, at those temperatures at which modern thin copper cookware with alloying simply deforms and changes color. In short, a pure copper old thick-walled boiler - THIS IS THE THING !!! But they are no longer produced. Ours is hereditary. But I don't have a wood stove, so even I can't show you the recipe for classic polenta if I have the right boiler. I haven't scared you off yet, will you continue reading?

Polenta is an old recipe, but not that from hoary antiquity. Corn came to Europe after the discovery of America, and in warm countries, it seriously pushed other, more whimsical and less productive cereals. In Italy, accordingly, polenta replaced the pulse: porridge made from ground spelled, millet, barley and spelled, known since the days of Ancient Rome. In short, the groats have changed, but the recipe has remained. So the technology for making polenta is a hell of a lot of years old, and in our refined conditions of the 21st century, making it in a classic form is very difficult.

I have also tried classic polenta - exactly once in my life, my father-in-law cooked when my parents came to get acquainted. The father-in-law's name was Giuseppe Manyago, he was from South Tyrol, whose inhabitants from the plains are called "polenta eaters" by Italians from the plains. In short, I know the recipe, I can tell it, but I cannot cook it, because it is simply impossible to install a domed copper boiler on a ceramic electric stove! I cook polenta in a flat-bottomed cast-iron cauldron, adapted for electric stoves. Will it suit you?

The main secret of the classic polenta, which distinguishes it from the product that has replaced it now, is the use of two types of cereals, with different grind sizes. In Italy, you should take the coarse and medium grind, but, except for the local mills, I have not seen this anywhere else, so in Germany I make it from corn grits and corn flour. Using two calibers gives a very different consistency to the dish than with homogeneous flour. But cooking requires a bit more complex calculations than from one type of flour.

Ingredients for polenta are considered not in grams and milliliters, but in volumes. I converted to grams for this recipe, but this is not a traditional approach. It is necessary to explain how this was done normally. You can't imagine an Italian guy at the wood stove, measuring flour and water with a scale and a measuring cup?

The ratio of cereals for classic polenta, our Giuseppe used the following: for 1 measure of coarse grinding - 2 measures of fine grinding. And water - 4 times more than corn in the aggregate. That is, 12 cups of water, 2 cups of fine cornmeal, and 1 cup of coarse cornmeal. A cup, a bowl, a mug - it doesn't matter anymore, do you understand? Historically, there was a large cauldron, and there was some kind of small container with which water and cereals were measured.

The water is brought to a boil and salted.

First, a bowl of large-caliber cereal is poured into boiling salted water. Brew for about 5 minutes.

After that, pour in 2 cups of corn flour in a thin stream with very thorough stirring. When they get into the water, polenta begins to spit wildly, you can seriously burn yourself. Much worse than just boiling water, because it is a sticky substance. Therefore, for about a minute or two, it makes sense to close the polenta pot with a lid.

When you hear that the spitting has stopped, the lid can be removed. Then there are two cooking strategies: over low heat, almost without stirring (a homogeneous polenta is obtained) and over high heat with stirring (it turns out to be dense, with a coarser and more heterogeneous structure). The first is easier to prepare and more beautiful, the second is more laborious, but, according to our family, it is tastier.

Today is the birthday of the senior representative of our branch of the Manyago family, and the festive dinner was held with us, so I was preparing their favorite version: laborious and scary-looking. In short, what you see with me is not a cooking defect, but a special honor for the birthday boy. Nobody forbids you to leave the lid closed, reduce the heat to low and simmer the polenta for about half an hour.

I have to stir the polenta from edge to center and in a circle over high heat for 20 minutes. Those. it turns out that I, in fact, beat it up. Parallel stripes on the walls are scapula marks. From top to bottom and to the center, the next movement is a little to the right, and so on, all the time in a circle. The intense fire allows layers of denser "skin" to form, which I constantly mix into the liquid inner layers. Stirring stops when the polenta is actually moved away from the boiler wall in this way. It should form into a single dense lump. The fact that it is heterogeneous is considered to be just a special chic in our country. I'll cook a homogeneous liquid polenta in a saucepan.

After thickening, the surface of the polenta is compacted so that it becomes more or less even, and the polenta is kept on medium heat for another 5 minutes.

After removing the polenta from the stove, let it cool for 5-10 minutes. It makes sense to pierce its edges with a spatula to the very bottom, so that they can easily be separated from the walls. Next, a round served board is pressed to the polenta. Not a plate at all! If you want a classic, then you need an absolutely flat wooden surface, such plates simply do not exist. I'll show you why a little further.

The polenta cauldron is turned over, the polenta is planted on a wooden board. I can clearly see here that a crust has separated from the bottom of the boiler. So, it will have to be ripped off and thrown away, because the boiler is cast iron and there is a black fry on the crust, and the crust itself is very tough and slightly bitter. But you can even eat a crust from a copper boiler, it is different. But it is not served with the polenta on the board; it is ripped off and consumed for breakfast with milk. Well, by at least, our Giuseppe did so.

Should it be roughened? Classical polenta - yes, it should be. This gives it a special scent - along with the smell of smoke from a wood-burning stove.

Now watch carefully. This is a serving of a classic polenta, right now - kondo - there is no kondo: on a wooden board and with a string. The rope should either be tied to two sticks, or there are loops at the ends where you can stick your fingers. A flat, wide spoon is also desirable - transfer the polenta layers to the eaters' plates.

The fact is that the classic polenta is not cut with a knife, but with a thread, and it is cut from the bottom up, not from top to bottom. The thread is brought under the polenta from below by the thickness of the piece, pulled and pulled up at both ends. That is why a board is needed, not a plate: the plates always have sides, which, when the classic way slicing get in the way.

In general, excuse me for such a recipe with the volume of "War and Peace", but the classic polenta with all the bells and whistles is a dish that requires a lot of explanation. Because of the bells and whistles and due to the fact that all the utensils for its preparation in modern kitchens are simply not used. For example, I do this polenta only for family holidays. This is a bit of a show. But these are also traditions. Our son is just as interested in cutting polenta with a string, as it was interesting for his father and uncles to do in childhood.

Maybe you can still cook polenta according to the recipe that you have on the package? It's probably easier.