Polenta Ticinese
Creamy cornmeal polenta layered with melted cheese and butter in the style of Swiss Ticino. A rich, comforting side dish ready in 25 minutes.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 485
- Protein
- 18g
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup polenta (cornmeal)
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1.5 cups Gruyère or Emmental cheese, shredded
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Pour the 3 cups of milk into a large, heavy-bottomed pot and set it over medium-high heat until steam rises from the surface and you see small bubbles forming around the edges, about 3–4 minutes.
- 2
While the milk heats, measure out the 1 cup of polenta into a separate bowl so it is ready to pour.
- 3
Once the milk is steaming, reduce the heat to medium-low so the milk is no longer aggressively bubbling.
- 4
Slowly pour the polenta into the hot milk while whisking constantly with a whisk in one hand, making sure no lumps form — the stream should go in steady and the whole mixture should stay smooth as you stir.
- 5
Continue stirring with a wooden spoon in a figure-eight pattern, reaching into the corners and bottom of the pot, for 15 minutes until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pot when you scrape the spoon across the bottom.
- 6
Stir in 0.75 teaspoons of salt and 0.25 teaspoons of black pepper.
- 7
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter until it is fully melted and incorporated into the polenta.
- 8
Pour the polenta into a shallow serving dish, spreading it into an even layer about 1 inch thick with a rubber spatula.
- 9
Scatter the 1.5 cups of shredded Gruyère evenly across the entire surface of the polenta in a thin, even layer.
- 10
Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into small pea-sized pieces and dot them evenly over the cheese across the surface.
- 11
Set the dish under a preheated broiler on the middle rack for 2–3 minutes, watching carefully, until the cheese is melted and golden with small brown spots on top.
- 12
Remove the dish from the broiler using oven mitts and let it rest for 2 minutes before serving.
Tools you’ll need
- large heavy-bottomed pot (4–5 quart capacity)
- whisk
- wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- shallow serving dish or baking dish (9×13 inches)
- rubber spatula
- oven mitts
- box grater or microplane
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