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Chances are, you know the food of the Italian poor: Sunday gravy, pizza, pasta, and meatballs.

These foods came over with Italian immigrants from the poorer regions of the south of Italy, like Naples and Sicily. They were treasured by families and guarded as a connection to the homeland. The foods evolved through time and became the massive pizzas, heavy gravies, and stick-to-your-ribs meals that we Americans now think of when we consider Italian food.

Not so for the polentoni di merda, as my brother (ever the proud half-Sicilian) calls the northerners: rotten polenta-eaters.

Northern Italian Comfort Food, With a Twist

Foods like spaghetti, which we now take for granted, were hardly ever eaten by the Northerners until pasta companies began selling mass-produced dried pasta. Instead, gnocchi for the Romans was made–not with the familiar potato, but with semolina. And more often than on spaghetti, ragù was served atop a mound of polenta.

I’m proud to have my southern Italian heritage, but unlike many Italians, I’ve got nothing against the northerners: I have them to thank for one of my favorite winter breakfasts.

This sweet polenta with hazelnuts recipe is one that I invented to use up extra cornmeal, but now I often cook it up on a cool winter morning before I head out into the slush. This is definitely not a typical northern presentation of the beloved Italian polenta, but I love it, and I’m sure you will, too.

Note: Many Italian nonne would gasp at the fact that I add my liquid to the polenta in batches, as with risotto. They would balk when they see that I sometimes forget to stir my polenta in only one direction. But in the end, my method works for soft and smooth polenta, and so I’ll stick with it.

Sweet Polenta with Hazelnuts

(for one)

• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
• water as needed
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 5 hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Heat the milk and salt in a saucepan until simmering but not boiling. Slowly add the cornmeal while stirring constantly. Allow the cornmeal to absorb all of the milk. Add water as needed until the polenta is cooked through and smooth.

Turn off the heat, and stir in one of the tablespoons of maple syrup and the hazelnuts. Spoon into a bowl and top with the reserved syrup and brown sugar.

Variations: Try the polenta with raisins, honey, cream, or other nuts.

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