Mountain Polenta from Oropa
The Santuario di Oropa is one of the most beautiful and special places for me. Situated in the
mountains over Biella (Piedmont), where my family comes from, it’s famous for its apparition
of the black Madonna (black so she can be seen better against the snow) on a rock. It gets cold
here, even in August. So the local dishes are hearty, rich, warming peasant dishes. Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon salt
1 litre water
1 litre milk
250 g unsalted butter, plus extra for the polenta
350 g ‘instant’ polenta
a few sage leaves
1 kg Toma cheese, cut into small pieces
1 kg Fontina cheese, cut into small pieces
freshly ground black pepper
Add the salt to the water and milk and bring to the boil with a knob of butter. Add the
polenta flour bit by bit, stirring constantly at first to prevent lumpiness. Turn the heat down and
simmer according to the packet instructions, stirring occasionally. Add more water if it looks too
thick and dry. Put the butter into a pan with some sage leaves and gently fry until the butter is
browned, but not burnt. Before serving, throw the cheese into the polenta, ensuring it melts in
before serving in hot bowls. Pour a good shot of the melted nutty butter on top of each portion
and add freshly ground black pepper. The black burnt butter specks are the key flavour.
*taken from the book ‘From Seed to plate’ by Paolo Arrigo, published by Simon and Schuster
