Given the cost of saffron, risotto alla milanese can be an indulgence. But the folks in Milan also favor maize (as they call American corn) as a base for many great dishes. Polenta is nothing more than coarse cornmeal cooked into a kind of porridge. That’s a little like saying great bread is ‶nothing more″ than ground up wheat. Polenta can be a subtle treat on its own and makes a versatile base for almost any kind of sauce or even leftovers. In Milan, as Stanley Tucci pointed out in part four of Searching for Italy, it’s often served topped with pot roast.

Maize was introduced to Italy when Columbus sent corn to the Vatican in the 1490s. In the half millennium since, Italians have developed their own strains. The most famous Italian corn hails from Bergamo, northeast of Milan. It’s an essential in Peroni beer and it’s prized for polenta.

On this side of the Atlantic, most commercial cornmeal is too fine to make good polenta. Southern grits are the often right grind, but are made with white corn, which has a different flavor. Fortunately, Bob’s Red Mill (bobsredmill.com) in Oregon grinds grits from yellow corn. The company even markets it for polenta and their version would warm the hearts of the Milanesi. For creamy polenta, heat three parts lightly salted water and one part milk to a simmer and swirl the liquid with a whisk. Slowly whisk in one part cornmeal. Reduce until barely simmering and cook 30-35 minutes with frequent stirring. The recipe scales up well. We’ve seen a cook prepare an entire cauldron of polenta over an open fire to feed a small army of vineyard workers.

Here’s a version that makes a light lunch or brunch for two.

POLENTA WITH SPINACH, MUSHROOMS, AND EGG

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

2 cups water

2/3 cup milk

pinch salt

2/3 cup medium coarse cornmeal

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 cups baby spinach

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon butter

salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place water, milk. and salt in large saucepan and bring to a slow boil. Using a whisk, set up a whirlpool in the liquid and whisk in cornmeal slowly to avoid lumps.

In a skillet, heat olive oil and sauté mushrooms. When nearly tender, add minced garlic and continue cooking.

Five minutes before polenta is done, break eggs into separate greased metal mise-en-place cups and set them in the polenta. Cover pot and steam until whites begin to set.

Meantime, add spinach to skillet to wilt. Stir into mushrooms.

Remove egg cups from polenta. Pour polenta onto two plates. Top with spinach-mushroom mixture. Slide eggs out of cups and place on top.