Rustichella d'Abruzzo Polenta Istantanea

Instant polenta from the Pianella pasta house, made from selected Italian corn and nothing else. The meal is steamed before it is packed, so it comes together in about three minutes instead of the usual long stir. It behaves like any polenta once it is in the pot, only faster.

The corn is Italian and it is the only thing in the packet. Steaming the meal first does what a long slow stir would otherwise do. The grain only needs to take up water and heat.

The house is far better known for pasta. Gaetano Sergiacomo started a pastificio at Penne in 1924 and his daughter Nicolina Peduzzi revived it in 1981 under the Rustichella name. Her children Gianluigi and Stefania run it now from Pianella, where the pasta still goes through bronze dies and dries slowly.

Cook it loose and wet as a bed for sausages or a slow ragu, which is how the producer serves it. The other way is to pour the cooked polenta into a tray and let it set firm. Cut that into squares and grill or fry them, with olive oil and some grilled vegetables, as something to eat standing up.