Polenta and walnut sauce is a pairing from northern Italy's farmhouse kitchen, where a strong condiment cuts through the starch of the grain. The sauce needs to be warm and loose when it hits the polenta: it seizes and thickens as it cools, so spoon it on at the last moment.
Use coarse-ground polenta (bramata), not instant. The texture is different: there is a slight chew that holds up under the weight of the walnut sauce. Instant polenta goes smooth and slippery. Forty minutes of stirring is not optional with bramata.
A fried sage leaf on top, if you have sage. It crisps in butter in thirty seconds and adds a resinous note that ties the whole bowl together.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Bring 5 cups of water or vegetable broth to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add 2 teaspoons of fine salt.
Reduce the heat to a steady simmer. Pour the polenta in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly as you add it. Once all the polenta is incorporated and the mixture is smooth, switch to a wooden spoon.
Cook over low heat for 35-40 minutes, stirring every few minutes. The polenta is ready when it pulls cleanly from the sides of the pot and a wooden spoon stands upright in it without falling. Taste and adjust salt.
While the polenta finishes, warm the Gusta Walnut Sauce in a small saucepan over low heat. Add a splash of warm water if it looks too thick: it should pour slowly off a spoon rather than hold its shape.
Fry the sage. Melt 0.75 oz of butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and fry for 30-45 seconds until crisp and translucent. Remove with a fork and set on kitchen paper.
Remove the polenta from the heat. Stir in 1.5 oz of butter and 2 oz of Parmigiano until glossy and smooth. Serve immediately in wide shallow bowls, spoon warm walnut sauce generously over the top, and finish with 2-3 fried sage leaves and the remaining Parmigiano.
You made Polenta Morbida con Salsa di Noci. Time to eat.
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Use bramata, not instant. Instant polenta cooks in five minutes and goes silky-smooth, which sounds good until you put a sauce on it and watch the sauce slide off. Bramata takes forty minutes and develops a slight, pleasant chew that holds the walnut sauce where you put it. The other thing: spoon the walnut sauce on at the very last moment. It tightens as it cools and will look dry by the time it reaches the table if you plate too early.
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