My earliest memories of polenta are of eating it with the older Italian couple who lived next to us in rural northern California. They were Mr. and Mrs. Spini to my brother and me and also to my parents. They had some things that we didn't have that I coveted. First were their rabbits. Next was their television set. And then, there was Mrs. Spini's polenta.

Mrs. Spini's polenta was served with traditional red sauce. My mother made red sauce too, also being Italian, but she didn't make polenta. I suspect she felt it was peasant food, which indeed it is, and was trying to have us develop more refined tastes.

I loved that polenta. I don't remember how many times I actually ate it, or anything else about those dinners, but the memory of that flavorful, but not overwhelming so, perfectly cooked polenta has stayed with me. I had discovered one of the world's great comfort foods.

Polenta is the northern Italian version of boiled cornmeal. It is made from cornmeal, yellow or white, and is ground to differing degrees of fineness. Many cultures use some form of boiled cornmeal (maize) as a basic starch dish. In Mexican cooking boiled cornmeal (masa) encases tamales, and in the U.S., for example, southern spoonbread is made from cornmeal mush plus eggs, milk and other ingredients.

Polenta purists insist that it be cooked slowly, preferably in the traditional Italian deep copper pot with slanted sides, almost pyramidal, called a paiolo. But, given that it's just dry cornmeal with liquid added, it is really quite forgiving and doesn't require any special equipment or elaborate cooking methods.

Some people, like me, like plain polenta. However, it's hard to beat as a foundation for an entire meal and is almost always eaten with the addition of some sort of cheese or sauce. It can be left in its initially cooked state, which is a firm, yet pudding-like texture, or it can be refrigerated to firm up and then sliced to saute, fry, or reheat in the oven or microwave.

I know of three ways to cook polenta (and there are probably more). All take four parts liquid to one part dry polenta. The liquid can be water, broth, milk, or a combination.

The first is the traditional method which requires stirring the polenta into the boiling liquid and continuing to stir until it reaches a smooth and creamy consistency. The second is similar, except that the partially cooked polenta sits in a double-boiler and doesn't need to be continuously stirred.

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