Creamy Polenta

For years I have tried to reconstruct a polenta that I ate at a restaurant that has been closed for many years. This is as close at it comes.


Ingredients:

2C coarse ground polenta or grits
8C water
1t kosher salt
4 oz Mascarpone cheese
1/2 cube butter
1.5C freshly grated Parmigiano cheese

Directions:

Bring water to a rolling boil, add salt and slowly add the corn meal into the pot, whisking the entire time. In 15 - 20 minutes it should thicken considerably and you can then add the other ingredients and serve. Top with a meat sauce, braised sausages, crumbled Gorgonzola or pesto. You can also pour thin layers of polenta into a casserole dish and alternately layer with sauteed spinach or chard and a good melting cheese like Fontina or truffled cheese from Piemonte.