Polenta Taragna is a dish, consisting of Polenta flour mix, butter and cheese. Polenta is a typical dish from the Valleys in the Italian northern regions (i.e. Bergamo, Brescia and Valtellina). Unlike the typical Polenta, Polenta Taragna is made with a mixture of corn flour and buckwheat flour. The dish is also commonly called Taragna.
Walking through Valtellina, you can’t help but eat one of the local culinary traditions’ signature dishes: polenta taragna! I’m sharing my version of this hearty dish to prepare for the impending winter weather! A sprinkle of corn and buckwheat flour adds a typical dark colour and rustic flavour, while the cheeses add a particular smoothness. The traditional Valtelina family zealously keeps its secret for a flawless Taragna, and the cheeses used can vary depending on the areas or the custom passed down by their ancestors, thus utilising Branzi, Casera, or Fontina!
This rich dish can be enjoyed alone, as a single dish, or with sausages or grilled meats or stews. I especially love it served with slow-cooked pulled pork. Polenta Taragna is an engaging meal capable of carrying all of the area’s rich flavours.
How to make Polenta Taragna using a Thermal food processor
Thermal food processors are a great investment for professional cooks, chefs and/or anyone who does heavy cooking. Polenta is a dish that requires many minutes of stirring over heat, hence making it in a food processor saves both time and energy.
- Place salted water in the mixing bowl of your thermal food processor and bring to a boil. The setting for your food processor would be 12 min./ 100° C/ speed 1.
- With blades moving at speed 2 add the flour through the hole in the lid as the processor runs. Insert the spatula attachment to scrap any dry crust from the sides.
- Leaving the spatula inserted, reset the food processor to cook for 40 min. at 100°c on speed 3.
- At the end of the 40 minutes, add the diced cheese and butter, turn the speed to 4 and mix with the spatula still inserted until the cheese and butter are melted and you have a creamy consistency.
How to make instant mix Polenta Taragna in 5 minutes
If you prefer to make it by hand or if you don’t have a Thermomix; this 5-minute instant recipe is for you.
- Pour water into a pot, add salt and bring to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, start adding the Polenta instant mix, stirring constantly until the liquid absorbs all the powdered mix.
- Immediately add the chopped butter and cheese (both should be at room temperature), and continue stirring until melted and incorporated). Serve hot.
Creamy Italian Polenta Taragna
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 liters of water
- 150 g butter
- 300 g Fontina, Casera or Branzi cheese (Chopped in small chunks)
- 500 g Calssic polenta taragna mix
For the 5 minutes instant polenta taragna
Instructions
- Place salted water in the mixing bowl of your thermal food processor and bring to a boil. The setting for your food processor would be 12 min./ 100° C/ speed 1.
- With blades moving at speed 2 add the flour through the hole in the lid as the processor runs. Insert the spatula attachment to scrap any dry crust from the sides.
- Leaving the spatula inserted, reset the food processor to cook for 40 min. at 100°c on speed 3.
- At the end of the 40 minutes, add the diced cheese and butter, turn the speed to 4 and mix with the spatula still inserted until the cheese and butter are melted and you have a creamy consistency. Serve hot.
For the 5 minutes instant Polenta taragna
- Pour water into a pot, add salt and bring to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, start adding the Polenta instant mix, stirring constantly until the liquid absorbs all the powdered mix.
- Immediately add the chopped butter and cheese (both should be at room temperature), and continue stirring until melted and incorporated). Serve hot.
