Valtellina and Valchiavenna, Lombardia
Polenta Taragna is the buckwheat-enriched polenta of the Valtellina and Valchiavenna: a 60/40 blend of fine maize flour and buckwheat flour (grano saraceno) cooked for 45–60 minutes in a copper paiolo with constant stirring, finished with cubed Bitto, Casera, or Scimudin cheese from alpine summer dairies and generous unsalted butter. The buckwheat gives a grey-green colour, a nutty, slightly bitter depth, and a rougher texture than plain polenta. It is the cold-weather staple of the Lombard Alps.
Nutty, slightly bitter buckwheat polenta with stringy alpine cheese and brown butter — a grey-green bowl of mountain warmth that could only come from the Lombard Alps
{"Flour ratio: 60% maize (fine ground), 40% buckwheat — higher buckwheat gives bitterness; lower loses identity","Salted boiling water; add flours in a thin stream while stirring constantly to prevent lumps","Cook minimum 45 minutes over medium heat, stirring every few minutes — the bottom should catch slightly (that's flavour)","Cheese added in cubes in the last 5 minutes; stir vigorously to melt but retain some uneven stringiness","Butter added off heat in a generous knob; stir briefly and serve immediately from the paiolo"}
{"Bitto DOP (if you can source it) melts with exceptional stringiness and has an unmatched alpine character","The crusty bottom of the paiolo (la maroña) is a delicacy — scrape it out and serve on the side","Leftover polenta taragna sliced and fried in butter the next morning is the alpine cook's privilege"}
{"Pre-made polenta (the 5-minute instant variety) — the texture and depth are incomparably inferior","Under-cooking — buckwheat polenta needs the full time to develop its characteristic sticky richness","Adding cheese too early — it sticks to the bottom and burns rather than melting into the polenta"}
Cucina della Valtellina — Carlo Facchi