Make your own Polenta Taragna

Try this recipe for polenta taragna, a Bergamo speciality, taken from the Accademia Italiana della Cucina (Academy of Italian Cookery).
Polenta is a light, fluffy alternative to potato and the addition of the butter and  cheese gives this variety a rich, creamy consistency and a wonderful flavour.

For four people:

300 gr buckwheat flour

80 gr corn meal

1.5 litres water

salt

80 gr butter

225 gr Taleggio cheese

Mix the buckwheat flour with the corn meal. Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, add a pinch of salt and pour in the buckwheat flour and corn meal.  Cook for at least one hour, stirring all the time.
Cut the butter into pieces and the cheese into strips and add to the saucepan. Mix and cook for a further ten minutes. Turn the polenta out into a serving dish or on to a wooden board from which everyone can serve themselves.
Some recipes suggest adding a glass of milk with the butter and cheese and a few sage leaves.
The picture shows the version made by the restaurant Il Sole, a good place to eat just off the Città Alta's famous Piazza Vecchia.
Buon appetito!

Back to top.