A simple and tasty dish, typical of the Umbrian peasant tradition, the impastoiata is a poor dish, but with a high nutritional content, once much in use among farmers who replaced meat with the more available and inexpensive legumes. The term impastoiata comes from the verb “knead together” (“impastare insieme” in italian) and refers to the two main ingredients: polenta and beans. A dish with an original flavour that adds the strong flavour of legumes to the delicate flavour of cornmeal. It’s ideal for warming up your winter days!

Soak the beans the night before. After rinsing them, cook the beans for about an hour in plenty of water. Cook the polenta separately in a pot with high sides, bringing the water to a boil. Water must be sufficiently salted. Pour the cornmeal and mix vigorously with whips to avoid the formation of lumps. Now complete the cooking of the beans by adding them to a base of vegetables and lard (or bacon) cut into cubes and simmered and gently browned in a pan to which you will add two tablespoons of tomato sauce to taste. Pour the mixture into the polenta, leaving a small amount to fill the dish. A hot and tasty “impastoiata” is ready!
 

Photo Credits: @incucinaconmiasorella - https://blog.giallozafferano.it/cucinaconmiasorella/