[Sca-cooks] Indian Maize in Italy in period??????

[Terry Decker]

The quick recipe is 2 to 3 cups of water, 1 cup of meal and a little salt. 
Bring the water and salt to a boil, stir in the meal reduce the heat to a 
low simmer and let the meal absorb the liquid.  This forms a porridge about 
the consistency of Cream of Wheat (polenta by another name).  It can be 
eaten as porridge or the porridge can be placed into a bowl and allowed to 
cool to form a loaf.  The loaf can be sliced and fried.

Pliny references barley polenta with linseeds and coriander.  Apicius uses 
wheat meal, suggests replacing the water with milk and make fried polenta 
served with honey and pepper.  There are references to all of this out in 
the florilegium, so I won't get into a lot of detail.

Bear

> I've never done my own polenta...  any hints, suggestions, or outright
> recipes from the house?
>
> in service,
>
> Grise