Risotto & Polenta

The origins of polenta reach all the way to the ancient world. This delicious substance began as a multigrain porridge, consumed by the Roman army when they were posted in the north. When corn arrived from the New World, polenta quickly adapted to its inviting color and satisfying flavor, eventually becoming an exclusively corn-based hot cereal. From there grew the many uses of polenta we know today - serve it hot with tomato sauce; let it cool, slice it up and grill the pieces; or fry the cubes as a side dish.

Risotto is perhaps the most common dish of Northern Italy. Arborio rice, named for the Po river town that achieved fame by growing it, is the rice of choice to make risotto. This creamy, savory rice dish is ideally suited to seasonal cooking, because it can incorporate everything from the first tiny peas of spring to the ripe tomatoes of hot summer to porcini mushrooms in the fall to small dices of winter squash - all with excellent results.

Couscous is so pervasive a part of life in North Africa that its Arabic name translates simply as "food". It came to Sicily during a North African occupation of the island, and quickly became as popular as pasta. And couscous essentially is a semolina pasta, though an immensely tiny one, both delicious and versatile. Our quick-cooking Organic Couscous works well with all sorts of seasonal vegetables, hot or cold. And it complements tomato-based sauces so naturally, you’d think it was invented right there in Italy.