Cooking Polenta

Bring 1.5 litres of salted water to a boil and whisk in 300 g of coarse cornmeal in a slow stream, so no lumps form. Turn it down to the lowest simmer and stir with a wooden spoon every few minutes, scraping the bottom. Coarse polenta takes 40 to 50 minutes; the grains swell and lose their grittiness. Finish with butter and grated Parmigiano. Serve it soft, or pour it into a tray, chill it, and cut it into slabs to grill or fry the next day. Add hot water if it gets too stiff.