Polenta Lenta - Polenta with Radicchio and Sheep Cheese

Did you know that the Slow Food movement started from a Piedmontese town called Bra, and did you know that polenta is one of the traditional dishes here in Piedmont? And did you know that "lenta" means "slow" in Italian? Well, now you do.

Anyway, a while ago, I went to a mountain refuge where I had gorgeous polenta with radicchio and cheese. This recipe is inspired by that polenta that I had at Rifugio Levi (which is also a great place to go bouldering, by the way).




POLENTA LENTA (FOR ONE PERSON)

3 dl water
slow-cooking polenta flour
140 grams of semi-soft sheep cheese (I used a local "Toma di Pecora")
about 8 medium-sized leaves of red radicchio (Italian chicory)
1 large clove of garlic
sea salt

1. Pour the water in a pan and heat it until it's about to reach boiling point. Turn the heat low.

2. Mix polenta flour with the water, little by little, using a whisk - to make sure that the polenta does not become lumpy. Add polenta flour until you feel like the the mixture is starting to get thicker - not so thick that it becomes heavy to mix but enough to make sure that it is not fluid.

3. Add salt, and let the polenta cook under a lid for about 20 minutes.

4. In the meantime, chop the garlic finely, cut the radicchio into fine strips, and cut the sheep cheese into small cubes.

5. When the 20 minutes have passed, mix the garlic and the radicchio with the polenta, and let the polenta cook under the lid for about five more minutes.

6. Add the cheese cubes, and let the polenta cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the sheep cheese has melted and the radicchio is not too crisp anymore.

7. Enjoy.

Annika