The Tree of Wooden Clogs and authentic polenta recipe

A friend of mine is sitting on the sofa with a funny paper hat on her head while another one, wearing a giant clown-style bow tie, is busy chatting holding a whisky & coke in his hand. We spent a whole Saturday afternoon making paper decorations and fancy hats while it would have been much cheaper and quicker to buy them. The point is, however, that it wouldn’t have been quite the same. I feel we are missing authenticity in our pre-cooked and pre-assembled world. Making things ourselves, baking a cake – who doesn’t love the smell of a cake baking in the oven- or growing your vegetables in a pea-sized allotment in the hearth of London, all this kind of things give us more satisfaction than splashing our hard-earned money in mass produced products.

And something about these childish paper hats reminded me of a scene from The Tree of the Wooden Clogs. A film that I especially like and which I think sums up the need of  genuineness in our society. The scene in question involves the grand-father sowing tomato seeds in the farm-house’s back-garden with his young grand-daughter. Such a deeply poetic episode where the older generation teaches the younger one the care which is needed to make good things happen.

The 1978 Olmi’s film describes the rural life of three familes at the turning of the 19′ century in the countriside of Bergamo – just near Milan. A life made of hard work, poverty, ignorance, but at the same time full of traditions and respect for nature. Where every single seed of tomato or grain was precious. A society much different from our consumerist one. Talking to my grandmother about the film, she still remembers the time when families used to meet up in wintery evenings in farm stables – as they were the warmest area in the house – telling stories and embroiding. When white bread was as rare as gold and polenta was the everyday meal. I always try to remember that it is where my roots belong to. I constantly remind myself that there was a time when my ancestors had to work hard in tough conditions to earn their bread and butter, when democracy,  freedom of speach and of vote weren’t granted, and all these thoughts make me feel stronger and act more responsibly. So, before buying an other pair of shoes or one more item of clothing which -really- won’t fit in my already packed wardrobe, I ask myself if I really needed it, and if it was fairly traded.

It’s for this reason that todays’ recipe is polenta, a poor traditional North Italian meal, which represented for long time the basic diet of many generations. Tasty, hearty and authentic peasant recipe.

Polenta is a golden-colour flour made from corn flour (maize) now easily available everywhere. Easy to make, it is very versitile. Can be served hot or cold, it taste gorgeous with meat but also goes very vell with tomato sauce and mushrooms. In my hometown they serve you polenta concia, a sligtly running polenta with melted cheese and butter.

Ingredients (for 4 people)

250g polenta

1 litre of water

salt

Cheese and butter (optional)

In a cauldron, eat up some salted water. When it’s hot but before the boiling point, add polenta flour and stir. Put the cauldron back on the heat and cook for approx 50 minutes stirring continuolsy. You can eat it hot or leave to cool on a wooden board.

If you want to make polenta concia, before removing from the heat, add diced cheese ( fontina, taleggio, toma….) and melted butter.