Annual church fundraiser brings polenta into the spotlight

While the coarse yellow cornmeal dish is a common Italian side and making an appearance at local restaurants, polenta is far from commonplace.However, with the return of Sunday's 26th annual Polenta Dinner Dance, sponsored by the Italian Catholic Federation's Auburn branch, community members have a chance to celebrate the dish often recognized as Italian comfort food.Rico Puccioni, owner of Rico's Barber Shop in downtown Auburn, has been the IFC's polenta point man since the dinner's beginning in 1978, working alongside his mother at first and now with almost a dozen other chefs to prepare the meal for its anticipated 350 guests. The menu hasn't changed much over the years - it remains Puccioni's mother's sauce poured over chicken, Italian sausage and polenta. "It started in Italy," Puccioni said of the cornmeal staple he grew up with. "It was kind of a poor man's meal, actually, and people really like it now. It just kind of caught on. Ever tried tamale pie? It's like that - but instead of being fine, it's very coarse."While polenta may not be an item in every cook's pantry, owner and cook Paula Mahan-Crary of downtown Auburn's Eden Valley said she serves it daily. Mixed with spinach and Parmesan cheese, it's the raved-over side that accompanies her grilled chicken and pesto sauce.To prepare the side dish, Mahan-Crary recommends using four cups of liquid - she uses chicken broth and butter - to each cup of polenta. The dish can be served creamy or be refrigerated, cut into shapes and fried or grilled for a crispy outside."You can put anything you want in it," she said. "If you wanted to make it sweet, you can put honey in it, and brown sugar. I also use polenta in my cornbread. It has a better texture."At Bootlegger's in Auburn, fried polenta is offered as an appetizer. Sometimes mixed with dried porcini mushrooms, a chilled pan of polenta is cut into triangles and fried, served with marinara sauce, said kitchen staff member Eric Alexander. "What I would do is in the Italian style, braise some nice beef in some red wine, cook that for five hours and serve it on top of some nice creamy polenta," he said, adding that mixing the soft Italian mascarpone cheese would give the dish a creamier texture. "Especially in the wintertime, it's a nice dish."Substituting polenta for potatoes or pasta adds a touch of glamour to an everyday meal, Mahan-Crary said. "It's the easiest thing in the world to make, it's really tasty and everyone here loves it," she said. "If you're tired of potatoes or noodles, it's a good alternative. It looks nice and if you serve it for a nice dinner party, people will think you went to a lot of trouble."To try a taste before attempting to make polenta, local residents can attend the IFC's Polenta Dinner Dance from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 16, at the St. Joseph's Parish Hall on Atwood Road. Proceeds from the dinner go to providing scholarships for local students as well as money for the Deacon's and Seminary funds. Reservations are required by Thursday, Jan. 13. For more information, call Dolores Aleccia at 823-9125 or Marie Bartorona at 889-9468.The Journal's Stephanie Swanburg can be reached at stephanies@goldcountrymedia.com.