It’s ages since I made polenta and yet it’s the most delicious thing. I’ve only ever read about it and made it, I’ve never eaten it at anyone’s house or for lunch in a café somewhere, so I have no idea whether what I make is authentic, and how most people would eat it… here’s my recipe anyway:
- butter, for greasing
- 7 oz of polenta, plus extra for dusting
- 6 oz plain flour
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 50g soft brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ of buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 2 oz of melted butter
- preheat the oven to 350°F, 180°C, gas mark 4. and grease a large loaf tin, dusting with polenta
- mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl
- in another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter together and then add to dry ingredients
- beat well then pour into the prepared tin; sprinkle with a little more polenta, then bake for about 20 minutes, when a skewer should come out clean when poked into the ‘loaf’ i f not, bake for a little longer
- take it out of the oven and cool on a wire rack to cool
- serve with lots and lots of butter
Lois Elsden 