Polenta Gratin With Gorgonzola Cheese Recipes

BAKED POLENTA WITH CRISPY LEEKS AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9-by-9-inch baking dish. In a large pot, bring stock, 2 tablespoons butter and salt to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium, then slowly add polenta, stirring constantly until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Scrape polenta into prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake for 40 minutes.
• As polenta bakes, prepare the leeks: Heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 3 tablespoons oil, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in leeks and a large pinch of salt, and cook until dark golden and crisped, stirring frequently, and lowering heat if they start to brown too quickly, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
• Remove polenta from oven. Stir in half the Gorgonzola, then cover again with foil, and let sit for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
• When ready to serve, taste polenta and stir in more salt, if needed (this will depend on how salty your cheese and stock are). Drizzle polenta with olive oil, and sprinkle with remaining Gorgonzola, crispy leeks, and parsley or basil.

BAKED POLENTA WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• To prepare the tomato sauce:
• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the tomatoes, yellow onion, and garlic in a baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until the garlic is soft and the skin is peeling away from the tomatoes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Remove the skin from the tomatoes and put in a saucepan. Squeeze the garlic out of the bulb and into the tomatoes. Remove the skin from the onion. Coarsely chop the onion and add to the tomatoes.
• Add the olive oil to the tomatoes and puree with a handheld immersion blender until smooth. You may need to add up to 1/3 cup water if there is not enough liquid. Season with salt. Warm the tomato sauce just prior to use.
• To prepare the polenta:
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a simmer and stream in the polenta. Whisk together until there are no lumps. Cover with a lid and continue to cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes. Be careful when you go to stir the polenta-it tends to spit out pieces of the cornmeal, which is very hot. Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the olive oil and basil. Drop in teaspoon-size pieces of the ricotta cheese. Pour the polenta into an 8-inch square baking pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and let sit for 1 hour or until the polenta has firmed up. Bake the polenta in the oven for 15 minutes or until heated through. Cut the polenta into 8 equal pieces.
• To serve:
• Place 1/2 cup warm tomato sauce in 4 shallow bowls and top with two pieces of the polenta. Sprinkle with the chopped basil.

POLENTA GRATIN WITH GORGONZOLA CHEESE

Steps:

• For polenta: Butter 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
• Bring water, sage, olive oil and salt to boil in medium saucepan.
• Gradually add cornmeal in thin stream, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Cook until cornmeal slowly falls off lifted spoon, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes.
• Immediately spread polenta in prepared dish; smooth top.
• Cool completely (can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate).
• For sauce: bring milk, bay leaves, cloves and allspice to boil in medium saucepan.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Simmer 10 minutes.
• Melt butter in another medium saucepan over moderate heat.
• Add flour.
• Whisk until smooth and bubbling (do not brown), about 2 minutes.
• Strain milk mixture into flour mixture, whisking until smooth; add gorgonzola and whisk into sauce until melted.
• Cook until thick, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg (can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
• Spread ½ cup of the sauce on the bottom.
• Cut polenta into 2 inch squares that are ¼ inch thick.
• Cut each square in half horizontally.
• Place squares in baking dish, overlapping edges slightly.
• Pour remaining sauce over.
• Sprinkle with grated Parmesan (can be prepared 1 hour ahead).
• Bake until polenta is heated through and top is golden-brown, about 50 minutes.
• Cool 10 minutes before serving.

POLENTA GRATIN WITH SPINACH AND WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes.
• Add the shallot and cook over moderately low heat for 3 minutes. Add the spinach, thyme and nutmeg and cook over high heat until the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread the spinach mixture evenly in a 1.5 quart baking dish. (can add pre-cooked chicken, shrimp or sausage).
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour over moderately high heat.
• Add the stock and cream and whisk until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper and pour over the spinach mixture.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup Gruyère over spinach and sauce.
• Arrange the polenta slices next in overlapping concentric circles, pressing to submerge the polenta slightly.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Gruyère on the polenta, cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
• Preheat the broiler. Uncover the polenta and broil 6 inches from the heat for about 2 minutes, or until golden. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

CREAMY GORGONZOLA POLENTA

Steps:

• Boil stock. In a medium-sized saucepan, add the salt to the stock and bring to a boil.
• Add polenta. Gradually whisk in the polenta. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 20 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients. Turn off the heat and add the half and half, cheese, and butter. Stir to blend and serve immediately!

POLENTA GRATIN WITH TOMATO, FONTINA, AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Make the polenta. During the last few minutes of cooking, stir in half the Fontina and the butter, then spread it, about 3/8 inch thick, on a clean counter or sheet pan to harden. Slice into rectangles or rounds--the exact size doesn't matter. This can be done hours in advance.
• Heat the tomato sauce with half of the rosemary. Taste and season with salt, if needed, and a little pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce in a 3-quart gratin dish, then overlap the pieces of polenta with the remaining Fontina. Spoon the remaining sauce carefully in bands over the polenta, leaving the edges exposed. Crumble the Gorgonzola over the top and sprinkle with the rest of the rosemary and the parsley.
• Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until the gratin is hot and bubbly. Garnish with the parsley, season with a little pepper, and serve.

POLENTA WITH GORGONZOLA CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 1 3/4 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, you can switch to a wooden spoon for easier stirring.
• Turn off the heat. Add the butter, cream and Gorgonzola and stir until the cheese melts. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the polenta to a bowl and serve.
• Note: If you're making the polenta ahead of time, put it on a double boiler and cover it with plastic wrap to keep it warm.

GORGONZOLA POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring 5 cups chicken broth to boil in heavy 4-quart saucepan. Gradually add polenta, whisking constantly. Return mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until polenta is tender, stirring frequently and adding more chicken broth by 1/4 cupfuls if polenta is too thick, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add Gorgonzola and cream; stir until cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• *Sold at some supermarkets and at natural foods stores and Italian markets. If unavailable, substitute an equal amount of regular yellow cornmeal and cook about half as long.