Polenta with cheese
Carbonéra, balòta, polenta cónsa: three perfect matches between polenta and cheese narrate an ancient history of migrations between Monte Baldo, the Lombardy valleys and the Veneto plains.
La Balóta Typically made by farmers who lead their herds to alpine pastures around Lake Garda in the summertime, it’s a simple dish that consists of a couple slices of hot polenta and a piece of Alpine cheese, then cooked to perfection on a grill.
Polenta carbonéra – or simply carbonéra (as it’s commonly known in the Brenzone area) – symbolizes the gastronomic encounter of the Garda shores, where olive oil is produced, and the pastures of Monte Baldo, which supply the milk for flavourful cheeses. Pieces of various types of cheese are melted into the polenta and cooked slowly before being left to cool until the following day. It is then toasted on a grill, bringing out its new flavours.
Polenta cònsa It is one of the simpler dishes of the Veneto tradition: polenta seasoned with olive oil and grated cheese. It’s known as polenta cònsa, or consà, on the eastern shores of the lake, where the classic recipe requires freshly made, hot polenta, flavoured with a piece of fresh butter and covered with grated cheese, or perhaps seasoned instead with oil and grated cheese. È un piatto diffusissimo in area padana, da sempre. Già da quando la polenta la si preparava con tutt’altra farina che quella gialla di mais.
Source: MALGHE, HOLIDAYS, FOOD AND GASTRONOMY
Peretti Angelo
