This is a poor man’s simple recipe, a warm filler for cold winter days in Friuli. I use spinach, but any available green vegetable would have been used, and would be good. Cornmeal lovers will appreciate this; it has all the comforts of porridge, filled with the flavors of Friuli.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　4 ounces (about 3/4 cup) yellow polenta

　　3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

　　3 cups hot poultry or vegetable broth

　　2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

　　3 tablespoons butter

　　Coarse sea salt or kosher salt to taste

　　About 1/2 pound young spinach leaves, rinsed

　　Freshly ground black pepper to taste

　　

Recommended Equipment

A heavy-bottomed 6-quart saucepan, 10 inches or wider

　　

Step 1

Whisk together the polenta and flour in the saucepan, then whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot broth, to make a smooth, loose batter. Continue adding the rest of the broth, and bring to a moderate boil, whisking constantly.

　　

Step 2

Drop the garlic cloves and the butter into the pan, and salt lightly. Cook the soup at a bubbling simmer for about 25 minutes, whisking and stirring frequently, until the polenta has cooked and thickened. Stir in the spinach leaves, and cook 10 minutes more.

　　

Step 3

Remove from the heat, and season with more salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Rest for 5 minutes, then serve hot, removing the garlic cloves if you like.

　　From Lidia's Italy by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Copyright (c) 2007 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York.