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How Italy’s Obsession with Polenta Helped Revive a Nearly Extinct Native American Corn
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These addictively delicious Polenta Tots are from the food truck at Clif Family Winery in Napa, California. They are a fun snackable bite meant to be shared. If you’ve never had polenta cooked this way, you’re in for a treat!
Clif Family Bruschetteria serves the most addictively delicious Polenta Tots. And though they incredibly easy to eat, it takes a lot of work to get them onto your plate. And we aren’t just talking about the food prep. First, heirloom Red Flint Corn is grown and harvested at Clif Family Organic Farm. The corn is dried then ground into a delicious meal that Chef John McConnel and his team use to make the polenta for the tots.
Originally grown by Native Americans, Red Flint Corn became an almost extinct crop in the United States. But thankfully, hundreds of years ago, the corn was brought to Italy where it was planted in the Valsugana Valley near Trento. It became the staple polenta corn of the region. According to Chef John, “It’s an interesting story of how it kind of almost faded out entirely from the Native Americas to go to Italy and become popular, then come back to California and see a resurgence.”
This high-starch variety of corn is particularly good for making polenta with a remarkably rich and complex flavor. After each harvest the team at the farm holds back some of the seeds for next year’s crop. “It’s such an amazing and easy thing to save. You dry your corn, now you have seeds that you could germinate the following year. It’s about as easy as it gets,” says John.
Seed saving is an important practice at Clif Family Organic Farm. “This is where a lot of the responsibility in stewardship comes into what we do. [When we] save seeds and regenerate them the next year, the genetics essentially become more adapted to their environment and have less disease and more resiliency,” he remarks.
Enjoy These Other Recipes From Clif Family Kitchen
An Incredibly Delicious Polenta Tots Recipe
The farming team produces enough Red Flint Corn to ensure a year-round supply of the now famous Polenta Tots. “We cube it and we lightly dredge it and fry it and serve it with a ranch dipping sauce” John explains. “Whether they’re children or adults, I think it really kind of alters somebody’s perspective of what polenta can be. Because it’s delicious,” he adds. Meant for sharing, the Polenta Tots are served with an herby ranch dipping sauce. Bonus – they are 100% gluten free.
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Clif Family Bruschetteria’s Polenta Tots with Ranch Dipping Sauce
Equipment
- Heavy Bottomed Skillet or Dutch Oven
- Deep Fry Oil Thermometer
Ingredients
For the Polenta Tots
- 3 cups Organic dried polenta
- 64 floz water
- 12 floz whole milk
- 1 Tbsp salt
- ¼ cup butter
- ¾ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
- ¾ cup grated mozzarella
- ¾ cup grated fontina
- Adjust salt to taste
- 4-6 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
For the ranch dressing
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dry dill
- 2 tablespoons chives diced
- Lemon juice to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Gently bring water and milk to a simmer in a large pot on medium heat, add salt, then slowly whisk in the polenta. The mixture should be thick and hard to stir with a whisk. Once all the polenta is added, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and stir with a rubber spatula to prevent the polenta from sticking to the bottom of the pot and scorching. Cook the polenta for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the polenta is creamy and tender. Once fully cooked, add in buter, Pecorino Romano, mozzarella, fontina, and additional salt to taste. Stir to combine and melt cheese/butter.
- While the polenta is finishing up, stage a 13”x 17.5” baking sheet lined with parchment and coat it with non-stick spray. Pour polenta onto the tray so that it is level with the top of the edge (about 1” thick) and place a sheet of parchment paper over the polenta to smooth it out and evenly distribute the polenta.
- Refrigerate your tray of polenta in the fridge (uncovered) until fully cooled. Once cooled, unmold the tray of polenta onto a clean cutting board. Cut the polenta into 1”x1” cubes using a ruler and a pizza cutter or paring knife to get clean and even portions.
- Lightly coat each polenta cube in corn starch to prevent them from sticking to each other.
- Fill skillet or Dutch oven with oil until it's about 3 inches deep. Deep fry in 350° F oil until golden brown on the outside. Blot with paper towels to remove excess grease and season with a sprinkling of salt and chili powder. Serve with ranch for dipping.
- Make the Dressing: Whisk ingredients together and adjust seasoning to taste.
- Pair with a chilled glass of Clif Family’s Mendocino Rosé of Grenache.