Snack, side dish for roasts and the perfect company for comfort stew

 

Polenta is a classic preparation from Veneto region, in North Italy, but has been totally adapted to Brazilian taste and is already a classic in our cuisine. There are lots of examples. When deep fried, polenta is a fabulous snack or side dish for roast spring chicken. It can also be served with oxtail and beef tongue. And it goes very well with bolognese sauce (made only with minced beef in Brazil) when cooked in a creamy version. Check these four recipes.

 

Oxtail with Polenta and Watercrees

One of the most emblematic preparations is made with a not so noble meat cut: the oxtail. It is usually sided by watercress and it can be found almost all over the country.

 

Spring Chicken with Fried Polenta

The spring chicken was introduced here by Italian immigrants that came to the South part of Brazil. The poultry are slaughtered when the chicken weighs less than 500 grams, in its first month. Fried polenta is the most common side dish for it, tradicional in restaurants in Porto Alegre and Serra Gaúcha

Beef Tongue in Beer with Milk Polenta

This is a usual recipe from Minas Gerais and the beef tongue is sauteed with garlic, onion and dark beer. Instead of water, the polenta is cooked in milk.

 

Soft Polenta with Bolognese Sauce

Very representative of the immigrants that came to Brazil, this polenta is softer and creamier, served with the bolognese sauce made in a Brazilian way, using minced beef – the Italian recipe is named ragù and is made with beef, pork and bacon (pancetta).