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Polenta taragna is the dark, nutty, intensely flavoured polenta of Valtellina, the remote alpine valley of Lombardy that borders Switzerland, where buckwheat has been grown for centuries alongside maize and where the combination of the two flours creates a polenta of extraordinary depth and character. The buckwheat flour gives the polenta a dark grey-brown colour and a distinctive earthy, slightly bitter note that contrasts magnificently with the Taleggio cheese melted through it near the end of cooking - the cheese dissolving into the hot polenta until the two are indistinguishable, creating a dish of molten, flowing richness. Butter stirred in at the end adds the final layer of alpine indulgence. Polenta taragna is the winter staple of mountain communities and is traditionally eaten as a stand-alone dish, not as a base for other toppings.
Prep
5 min
Cook
55 min
Total
60 min
Servings
4 srv
Difficulty
Medium
Calories
480 kcal
For 4 serving(s)
Per serving
Bring the water to the boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the salt.
Mix together the coarse cornmeal and buckwheat flour. Gradually whisk the combined flours into the boiling water in a thin, steady stream to prevent lumps forming.
Reduce the heat to very low. Cook the polenta, stirring frequently and vigorously with a long wooden spoon, for 40-45 minutes. The buckwheat polenta takes slightly longer than plain polenta to cook through and will turn a deep grey-brown colour as it cooks.
When the polenta is very thick and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the pan, remove from the heat.
Add half the butter and cut the Taleggio into small pieces, removing the rind if desired. Stir both into the polenta over low heat, mixing vigorously until the cheese has completely melted and the polenta is smooth, creamy, and flowing.
Add the remaining butter, stir once more, taste for salt, and serve immediately in deep bowls. Polenta taragna waits for no one.
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