La polenta - a traditional Marchigiani food.

Our neighbour, Maria, recently taught me how to make polenta, a dish made from corn flour. She and Armando had grown, harvested and shucked the corn themselves and then had it ground at a local mill. The result was a slightly coarse, yellow flour that we gradually added to a pan of hot water, whisking all the time.  When it was at the right consistency (soft & creamy), we left it to cook through. Maria had already prepared a rich tomato sauce using the tomatoes she had grown and bottled last summer. When the polenta was cooked, we added some salt (if you add it earlier, the polenta is likely to stck to the pan) and then sat down with Rob and Armando to enjoy the result. Delicious!!