Soft Polenta

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons salt
• ¾ cup coarse cornmeal, plus more for tablecloth
• 1 ¼ cups fine cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Beans and sausage (see recipe)

6 servings

Preparation

1. Add the salt to 6 cups of water in a pot, and bring to boil over high heat. Very slowly sift in alternating handfuls of coarse and fine cornmeal, whisking constantly.
2. Add the butter, reduce heat to low and stir with a wooden spoon until the polenta peels cleanly off the sides of the pot as it is stirred, about 20 minutes.
3. Make a circle of coarse cornmeal 15 inches in diameter on a tablecloth, and spread the polenta over it to a thickness of 3/4 inch. Top with 4 cups of the beans and sausage and serve on the tablecloth.