PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF FROZEN READY-MADE POLENTA

A frozen ready-made polenta in the form of frozen granules or flakes with a greater dimension comprised between 1 and 60 mm and having an average weight of 6.0 g or less, substantially homogeneous in size, is described, said granules or flakes being able to be thawed and/or heated rapidly and uniformly to produce a polenta having the texture and organoleptic characteristics of a freshly cooked polenta; also described is a process for the production of a frozen ready-made polenta in the form of granules or flakes, comprising the steps of: providing a traditional polenta at a temperature of about 40 °C or higher; dividing the polenta into a plurality of semifinished products in the form of granules or flakes; performing a first step of deep-freezing the semifinished products by supplying them in dosed amounts into a bath of a liquid at a temperature of -30°C or lower and keeping them in said bath for a predetermined first time interval, thus obtaining a plurality of partially deep-frozen granules or flakes of polenta, said partially deep-frozen granules or flakes having a hard and deep-frozen external surface and a soft not completely deep-frozen core; subjecting for a predetermined second time interval the plurality of partially deep-frozen granules or flakes of polenta to a second deep-freezing step at a temperature comprised between -90°C and -30°C, preferably between - 70°C and -50°C, thus obtaining a plurality of deep-frozen granules or flakes of polenta. Also described is a method for the preparation of a soft polenta having optimum organoleptic properties comparable to those of a traditional polenta, wherein a portion of ready-made polenta in the form of deep-frozen granules or flakes according to the invention is poured into a container and thawed and/or heated in a microwave oven or is poured into a pot and thawed and/or heated on a heat source for a predetermined thawing and/or cooking time, preferably without stirring during the thawing and/or heating time. Also described is a frozen ready-made food packaging for thawing in a microwave oven, comprising a receptacle made of a microwave permeable rigid material, containing a first frozen food component at the bottom and a second frozen food component having a substantially fluid consistency at a temperature of more than 0°C, and a closure element, wherein the first food component comprises the frozen ready-made polenta according to the invention.