This is old-fashioned farmhouse breakfast food from northern Portugal, made on cold mornings with whatever cornmeal was in the pantry. It is Portugal’s answer to sweet polenta or grits, cooked low and slow until it turns silky.
Papas de milho doces isn’t fancy and it doesn’t need to be. A little sugar, a cinnamon stick, a strip of lemon zest, and patience are really all it takes, which made it the kind of dish a busy household could make without much fuss on a school morning.
Leftover cornmeal can go into broa de milho (recipe on the site) later in the week. Extra honey and toasted walnuts on top turn it into something close to dessert for breakfast.
Papas de Milho Doces Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 strip lemon zest
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Ground cinnamon, for serving
- Honey, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the milk, water, cinnamon stick, lemon zest, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the cornmeal in a thin stream to prevent lumps.
- Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 15 to 20 minutes, until thick and smooth.
- Stir in the sugar and butter; cook 2 more minutes, adjusting sugar to taste.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon zest.
- Spoon into bowls, dust with ground cinnamon, and drizzle with honey if using. Serve warm.
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