Polenta Ticinese

Ticino is Italian-speaking Switzerland, bordering Lombardy — its table is an extension of northern-Italian cooking, leaning on polenta and risotto where the rest of the country leans on potatoes. Maize arrived in the 16th century and took root in the southern Alpine valleys; polenta, together with chestnuts and potatoes, was for centuries a staple of the local diet. The hallmark of an authentic version is the slow, constant stirring in a thick copper pot over a wood fire, which lends the polenta a faint smoky aroma.

Spoon the polenta — dense and creamy with a faint sweet-corn note, butter coating each grain, a grating of aged cheese adding savory richness. Pair it with brasato braised down until the meat is meltingly tender and the sauce thick, the juices soaking into the polenta. The near-hour of stirring is what sets it apart from instant polenta.

Slow, constant stirring over gentle heat gradually hydrates and gelatinizes the corn starch, breaking up lumps and evening out the grains for the signature silky texture (vs. the skin and grit of fast-boiled polenta). The butter-and-cheese finish, melted in off the heat, emulsifies fat into the starch for a glossy sheen.