🥣 Valtellinese taragna polenta with Casera cheese and butter – Original and hearty recipe
A dish that smells of stove, wood, and togetherness. The valtellinese taragna polenta is one of the most beloved and authentic recipes of mountain cuisine 🏔️. Rich, flavorful, and decidedly caloric, it is perfect for warming both the stomach and the heart on cold winter days ❄️. It is made with mixed buckwheat and corn flour, Casera DOP cheese, and quality butter. It’s so good that, as tradition dictates, it will be necessary to accompany it with a good amaro or a digestive walk after the meal! 😉
📝 Ingredients (for 6 people)
- 4 liters of water
- 1 kg of mixed corn and buckwheat flour (recommended: Moro flour, valtellinese)
- 300 g of dairy butter (preferably from the mountains)
- 600 g of Casera DOP cheese, cut into cubes
- Salt to taste
👨🍳 Step-by-step preparation
- Prepare the water and flour:
- Bring 4 liters of salted water to a boil in a large pot (preferably copper).
- Add the flour little by little, mixing initially with a whisk to avoid lumps.
- Cook the polenta:
- When the mixture starts to thicken, use the traditional tarài (the wooden stick for polenta) to stir vigorously.
- Cook for 40-50 minutes, stirring continuously to prevent it from sticking or burning.
- The polenta is ready when it starts to come away from the sides of the pot and a light crust forms on the bottom.
- Stir in cheese and butter:
- Add the butter in pieces and the Casera cheese cut into cubes.
- Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted and the polenta is well blended.
- Serve:
- Pour onto a wooden cutting board or into deep plates.
- Serve hot, accompanied by cold cuts, grilled meat, or simply on its own, with a glass of Valtellinese red wine 🍷.
👩🍳 Tip: for a quicker version, you can also use instant flour (like the one from the Moro line): the taste remains authentic and will also please polenta purists!
📸 The image of the dishes is purely indicative and does not necessarily correspond exactly to the recipe
📖 Recipe taken from Calendario Valtellinese 2016
