Roasto

HAPPY NEW YEAR! When I was a kid each New Year's day, we'd head to my Nonno's for Roasto. This was a big deal. Roasto was a special meal that involved my grandpa firing up the spit he built into his fireplace to cook his very own delicious rotisserie chicken and pork over an open fire. But even better was what cooked below, soaking in all the scrumptious juices of the flame cooked meat was polenta. Traditionally we would eat polenta as mush on our plates as a side but on special occasions like New Year's we would eat it fried. The most crispy pieces were often fought after. We'd gather with family and friends to celebrate the new year and, like good Italians, enjoy copious amounts of delicious food together.   Of course there was football involved, too and cookies from the local Italian bakery!

We have not had roasto in our lives since my grandpa died in 1993. This is a long time to go without such deliciousness and more importantly a very poignant tradition in our family life. Don't get me wrong. It's not like we haven't tried but there is NOTHING like having a meal cooked in a fireplace. In recent years my sister and I have attempted 'frying' polenta so we may share the magic with our family. It is an art form, really, frying, that is.  Each year we both have felt frustrated with our outcomes, overly oilly and not crispy at all polenta. But this year, oh this year, I think I may have come close. I attempted several methods this year from pan frying in light oil, to pan frying in lots of oil, to baking but the masterpiece crispy pieces came by accident.  When I got impatient with the baking polenta that was clearly not getting crispy at all I decided to throw them in the cast irons on the stovetop and finish them off. And this is where heaven was made. Yes, I nearly replicated my Nonno's delicious crispy polenta. Hallelujah! Here is photo documention:

Polenta (*made the day before to adequately chill)

Sliced chilled polenta

Frying polenta

Splatter guard. Ouch, hot oil!

Finished product. Fried polenta, roasted root veggies, and chicken. YUM!

Now here's the history. You see why getting a spit in my fireplace is of highest priority or at least how making crispy polenta/Roasto might be so important!

This is my great grandmother, Nonna Grande, cooking Roasto. Note the pile of polenta on the right. 

My sweet Nonno making Roasto in the fireplace he built.

Zia Rosina, my great Aunt, also cooking Roasto at my Nonno's house. 

Zio Tony tending to the Roasto.

My Nonno had the steps down and payed attention to detail from the spit in his fireplace to the homemade form he made to make uniform slices of polenta. He even had a special rectangular spatula to ease the cold polenta into the bubbling oil so it wouldn't break.

This was the best.