Polenta di Molise con Spuntature

Ingredients

• For the spuntature
• 1 kg pork spare rib tips (spuntature), short, cartilage-rich rib ends
• 400 g canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1 medium onion, finely sliced
• 100 ml dry red wine
• 50 g lard, not olive oil
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• For the polenta
• 300 g coarse-milled yellow polenta, not instant, not fine-milled
• 1.5 litres water
• 1 tbsp fine sea salt, added aggressively during cooking

Method

1. 1
   Melt the lard in a heavy-based pot — a wide, deep saucepan or a traditional paiolo if available — over a medium flame. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent, without colouring. Add the spuntature in a single layer and brown on all sides until deeply coloured. This is done when the fat around them is clear and the surface of each rib tip is uniformly mahogany.
2. 2
   Pour in the wine and allow it to reduce almost completely, scraping up any sediment from the base of the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes and enough water to just cover. Season with salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover partially, and braise for a minimum of 2 hours, turning the spuntature occasionally, until the meat pulls from the cartilage without resistance, the collagen has dissolved into the sauce, and the liquid has concentrated to a glossy, thick coating — this is where the dish lives or dies: a sauce that is thin or a rib tip that still holds any resistance is an unfinished dish.
3. 3
   When the spuntature have approximately 60 to 90 minutes left, begin the polenta. Bring the salted water to a rolling boil in a large pot — copper if available. Pour the coarse polenta in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps forming. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting.
4. 4
   Stir the polenta continuously with a long wooden spoon for the full 60 to 90 minutes. It will thicken progressively; adjust heat so it maintains a slow, volcanic bubble without burning. Season further with salt as needed — the polenta must be aggressively salted throughout. It is ready when it pulls cleanly from the sides of the pot and a spoon drawn through it leaves a furrow that holds its shape.
5. 5
   Pour the finished polenta directly onto a clean wooden board (the spianatora) in one confident motion, spreading it to an even layer with the back of a wetted spoon. Ladle the spuntature and their concentrated sauce over the polenta immediately. Serve at once at the board, communally — the polenta should steam visibly and the sauce should hold its gloss without running.