Weinzweig extolls the virtues of Italian Mulino Marino polenta. Mulino = flour mill, Marino = family name of famed piedmont old-skool millers. "Cornmeal so far superior to commercial brands that it's another product altogether."
Wow. Do tell.
"Despite the higher price restauranteurs and locals alike line up to buy it, quite simply, they say, because it tastes so much better than any other polenta around."
Well, there you have it. But what makes it so good? It's only corn, after all.
"The Marinos grind only full-flavored old varities, primarily one known as Otto File [eight rows]. The ear has only eight rows of very large -- huge compared with what we're used to seeing in the United States -- well-rounded kernels …
Although it's more difficult to grow, Otto File is far more flavorful than standard commercial corn. It's also more expensive to grow than more common seed varieties. Yields are low and each stalk offers up only a single ear. It must be planted earlier than more modern varieties in order to avoid cross-pollination. and it must also be left longer on the stalks in order to enhance its natural sweetness; the Marinos don't harvest it until late September or early October."
Well then, there you really have it!
Sorry, it's unavailable. Just kidding. It's available seasonably on Amazon and other places. But here you can have it for $9.00 LB plus shipping. I wouldn't trust it though. It contains the germ and the germ contains oil. The germ goes south fast after milling so it already suffers from being imported, even more so for having been stored. I'll wait 'till September.
In the meantime, my own corn milled myself also has the germ and it's delicious even if it is regular teeny tiny kernels with more than eight rows per cob. And after all, corn is a product of the Americas to begin with. I must admit to a touch of Americocentrism here when it comes to products that originate in America like potatoes, tomatoes, corn, chocolate, vanilla and chiles that are taken up by Europeans and improved in some way to suit their tastes, then supremacy claimed.
And what's with this cooking for 120 minutes and cooking for 90 minutes bullshit?
Non capisco questo.
Yo no lo comprendo.
Je ne comprends pas.
I do not understand this.
Because it cooks, it boils, bang, it's done. 10 minutes max. Bitttman agrees. It can be soupy or it can be thick. It can even be cooled and fried.
I must be missing something really good. It's almost worth nine bucks and 120 minutes to see if ground corn can be all that. I'm beginning to become curious. Even with the degradation and expense of shipping added in. All I know now is that this polenta right here is wonderful.
The chile is my own two leftover chiles from previous meals mixed together; the one with too much chipotles en adobo and the one mixed with beans and rice. This polenta was made with chicken broth and curry mixture in a tin from the now defunct Spice Boys which was just a few blocks away and now is gone.
Update: That does it. I really do need to get put some knowledge here. I'm seeing otto file online under various names and colors. Zingerman's, with whom Weinzweig is/was associated, at top that started this post, themselves offer otto file online, one kilo @ $15.00 which translates to $7.50 LB, if my maths are right. Anson Mills also offers it, along with another which is also outstanding according to yet another site. But Anson offers these wholesale, minimum order 10 LBS. I do not know which type is offered at Anson retail. It is not specified other than fine and coarse. Although several types are offered wholesale at Anson Farms. I hear them calling to me, beckoning me to try them. This is a problem for me because I can not handle that much. It's marketed under other names too, American Indian names, on other sites. I sure would like to find a place locally and if not that then at least order from somewhere on North America, and last choice would be to pop for the known imported type originating from Marino's, if that's what it takes to obtain a reasonable amount, and risk the the damage that time does to the germ of grain. And that would be a shame.
Update update: I placed an order with Zingerman's. The shipping was steep but reasonable, I suppose. I always justify the expense to myself by comparing it with formal education, where anything by comparison always seems cheap. In fact, it pretty much justifies anything . But then at check out Zingerman's added an extra "warm weather care" charge that nearly doubled the shipping. My reason center kicked in. I removed the temperature-sensitive item (cheese that is recommended) then went back to checkout. The warm weather care charge was still there. I guess that's how the germ in the milled corn is protected. So I closed the window without providing payment information. I can wait for warm weather to end. Besides, I still have a lot of my own ground corn that I still love even though I know something out there is superior. I'll delay until cool weather to satisfy my curiosity. See how mature I'm gett'n? I must say, that I do appreciate Zingerman making these products available online and the care they show in protecting them.
Update: That does it. I really do need to get put some knowledge here. I'm seeing otto file online under various names and colors. Zingerman's, with whom Weinzweig is/was associated, at top that started this post, themselves offer otto file online, one kilo @ $15.00 which translates to $7.50 LB, if my maths are right. Anson Mills also offers it, along with another which is also outstanding according to yet another site. But Anson offers these wholesale, minimum order 10 LBS. I do not know which type is offered at Anson retail. It is not specified other than fine and coarse. Although several types are offered wholesale at Anson Farms. I hear them calling to me, beckoning me to try them. This is a problem for me because I can not handle that much. It's marketed under other names too, American Indian names, on other sites. I sure would like to find a place locally and if not that then at least order from somewhere on North America, and last choice would be to pop for the known imported type originating from Marino's, if that's what it takes to obtain a reasonable amount, and risk the the damage that time does to the germ of grain. And that would be a shame.
Update update: I placed an order with Zingerman's. The shipping was steep but reasonable, I suppose. I always justify the expense to myself by comparing it with formal education, where anything by comparison always seems cheap. In fact, it pretty much justifies anything . But then at check out Zingerman's added an extra "warm weather care" charge that nearly doubled the shipping. My reason center kicked in. I removed the temperature-sensitive item (cheese that is recommended) then went back to checkout. The warm weather care charge was still there. I guess that's how the germ in the milled corn is protected. So I closed the window without providing payment information. I can wait for warm weather to end. Besides, I still have a lot of my own ground corn that I still love even though I know something out there is superior. I'll delay until cool weather to satisfy my curiosity. See how mature I'm gett'n? I must say, that I do appreciate Zingerman making these products available online and the care they show in protecting them.
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