Lush pork brings a taste of Italy to this polenta

After the hectic holiday season, I’m looking forward to some down time and simple and comforting meals that come together with little effort. There’s no better place to start than with polenta.

Polenta has come a long way from its beginnings as peasant fare in earlier centuries. Once relegated to Italian family dinners, this satisfying comfort food has been showing up on some pretty fancy restaurant menus.

It’s not the polenta itself (made from only three ingredient (cornmeal, salt, and water), but the variety and flavors of the sauces and seasonings lavished on this otherwise simple dish that makes it so special.

In Northern Italy where polenta is preferred over pasta, it is often cooked into a thick, creamy, porridge with the texture of grits and is topped with only butter or sprinkled with a little cheese.

Served either as a side dish, first course, or main dish, polenta can be presented in several ways. In Italian country kitchens or trattorias, the hot, cooked polenta is poured out onto a wooden board. It immediately firms up and can be cut with a string (the string is slid under the polenta and pulled through to the top). The slices are then placed on individual plates and topped with a sauce, or the polenta can be spooned piping hot into a dish and drizzled with butter and cheese to be eaten at once, or baked with butter and cheese. It can be poured onto a cookie sheet or baking dish, cooled, and then cut into shapes that are fried, grilled, or baked with a variety of toppings.

The bag or box doesn’t need to have the word “polenta” on it. You can use any medium or coarsely ground cornmeal (I prefer the texture of stoneground), or buy cooked polenta sold in a tube that can be sliced and prepared as noted above.

If you know how to make grits, you know how to make polenta -- basically cornmeal mush. Instant polenta is available, but it doesn’t have the flavor of traditional polenta.

The cornmeal needs to cook slowly to allow time for the cornmeal to soften, swell and fully cook; besides there is something “zen” about stirring the pot for 25 minutes.

Leftover polenta can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to five days and can be reconstituted with milk or water.

POLENTA AND PORK RAGÙ

This recipe is adapted from “The Art of Pantry Cooking” by Ronda Carman, Rizzoli International Publications, ($39.95).

Medium-bodied wines such as Cakebread Cellars 2020 Two Creeks Pinot Noir ($45) pair very well with the succulent pork in this dish. The berry and warm spice flavors and silky tannins complement the pork rather than overpowering it.

3 pounds skinless, boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3 pieces

1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons kosher salt

2½ teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 large shallots, finely diced

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

½ cup red wine

One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

Leaves of 6 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1½ cups stoneground yellow cornmeal

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for garnish

Season the pork with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the pork, turning often, until it is evenly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Once browned, transfer it to a platter and pour off the pan drippings. Add the shallots and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 2 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until it is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaves. Break the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Stir in 2 cups water and return the pork with any accumulated juices to the pot. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer on medium-low. Partially cover the pot and cook until the pork is tender, about 3 hours. Shred the pork in the pot. In another large pot, bring 6 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat. Whisking constantly, add the cornmeal in a thin stream. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the cornmeal, whisking often, until it is creamy, about 25 minutes. Add the butter and the Parmigiano and whisk until melted. Season with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Spoon the polenta into bowls and top with pork ragù and Parmigiano.

Yield: 6 to 8 Servings.