One can find biscuits made with corn (maize or polenta) flour in many parts of Northern Italy. They can be plain or with sultanas, are always rather buttery, and are most often flavoured with vanilla, lemon or orange. Sometimes they’re crisp and short, sometimes softer and more cakey.
I particularly like this version: not too rich, sweet but with a salty bite, super crisp and with that lovely crunchiness of polenta flour. I have them for breakfast with my espresso and in the afternoon with tea, but they also go very well with fruit compote and ice cream. Continue reading “Biscotti al mais (polenta shortbread biscuits)”
Ris e latt is Milanese dialect for the Italian riso e latte, rice and milk. It sounds dull – it is not. It is a warming, un-showy but far from boring minestra (soup) from Lombardy: risotto rice simmered in a copious quantity of full fat milk and water, mildly flavored with a little onion and bay leaf, enriched in the end by a generous amount of butter and Parmesan, a touch of freshly grated nutmeg and a shower of chopped parsley. There are many versions of this dish: I prefer it soupy but it is also possible to make it thicker, although it should not be risotto-like. Some people cook the rice with milk only (too rich for me) and others start with cooking some chopped onion in butter and then add all the other ingredients. I have also seen versions with chestnuts (cooked, vacuum-packed chestnuts now easily available) and even with potatoes added to the liquid at the very beginning.
Italian home cooking 