Polenta And Braised Pork Lasagne Recipes

POLENTA LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix marinara sauce, garlic powder and herbes de Provence. Arrange half of the polenta slices in a greased 8-in. skillet. Top with half of the sauce; sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers., Cook, uncovered, over medium heat 12-14 minutes or until bubbly. Cover; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

POLENTA AND BRAISED PORK "LASAGNE"

Steps:

• Make polenta:
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.
• On a lightly oiled large baking sheet spread warm polenta into a 15- by 12-inch rectangle (about 1/2 inch thick) and cool to room temperature. Polenta may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• Make filling:
• Pat pork dry and season with salt. In a heavy 7- to 8-quart kettle heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown pork in 2 batches, transferring with tongs to a bowl. In fat remaining in kettle sauté onion and celery, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Add garlic and rosemary and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Return pork to kettle and add tomatoes with juice and 2 cups water. Simmer mixture, covered, 1 1/2 hours, or until meat is very tender.
• Transfer pork to a cutting board to cool. In a small bowl stir together flour and remaining 3 tablespoons water and whisk into liquid remaining in kettle. Discard bones and fat from pork and chop meat. Add pork and tomato paste to kettle, stirring, and simmer until filling is reduced to about 6 cups. Filling may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Make béchamel sauce:
• In a small saucepan heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 1 minute and add milk in a stream, whisking. Simmer béchamel sauce, whisking, until smooth and thickened slightly, about 2 minutes, and season with salt.
• Cut polenta into 3-inch squares. In a 3-quart shallow baking dish spoon half of filling and top with half of polenta squares. Repeat layering with remaining filling and polenta squares and spread béchamel sauce over top to cover completely. Sprinkle cheese over béchamel sauce and bake, uncovered, 45 minutes, or until heated through and top is golden.

POLENTA LASAGNA LOAF

Steps:

• Prepare polenta: Bring water and salt to a boil over high heat. Whisk polenta into the boiling water and continue whisking until it starts to thicken, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until polenta is soft and has lost its grainy texture, 25 to 40 minutes.
• Remove polenta from the stove and quickly whisk in butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
• Transfer polenta to a silicone baking liner (or oiled foil or parchment paper). Spread it out evenly almost to the edges into an 8x13-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and smooth out the top with your hands. Place a baking sheet on top and press slightly to further flatten.
• Slide the silicone liner and polenta onto the baking sheet and place in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.
• Remove polenta from the refrigerator and cut, from one long edge to the other, into 8-inch long strips.
• Prepare filling: Stir ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, mozzarella, salt, pepper, cayenne, egg, and parsley in a bowl until well combined.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan with 1 tablespoon oil.
• Place one strip of polenta into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. Spread 1/3 of the filling on top as evenly as you can. Top with about 1 cup hot meat sauce. Repeat polenta-filling-sauce layers twice more. Place the last piece of polenta on top, then gently shake and tap the pan to settle the contents. Place the loaf pan on top of a sheet pan to catch any spills while baking. Loosely wrap the top of the loaf pan with foil, making sure it's not touching the polenta.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven, discard foil, and let rest for at least 15 minutes.
• Divide onto 6 plates. Garnish with parsley and serve with additional sauce.