Polenta Pastizada Venetian Polenta Pie Recipes

POLENTA PIE WITH CHEESE AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Oil a 9-inch pie plate or a 4-cup gratin dish with 1 teaspoon oil. 3Cut polenta roll crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and line pie plate with half of slices, overlapping slices slightly to completely cover bottom of pie plate. Stir 1 tablespoon basil into 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce and spread over polenta, then sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Top with remaining half of polenta slices, then sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and remaining half of mozzarella.
• Bake until bubbling and golden, about 20 minutes. While pie bakes, heat remaining pasta sauce, basil, and oil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Let pie stand 5 minutes to firm up and cool, then serve with extra sauce on the side.
• *Found at many supermarkets and lucini.com.

VEGETARIAN BAKED POLENTA PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in garlic, tomatoes, fennel seed, basil, oregano, and red pepper. Season with salt and black pepper and let simmer for about 30 minutes over low heat.
• While the sauce is simmering, roast the vegetables. Place zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, and red pepper on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. When the vegetables are done roasting, set aside to cool and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
• In a large pot, bring the milk, butter, sugar and salt to a light simmer. Slowly add the polenta to the pot, whisking constantly. Once it starts to thicken, trade the whisk out for a spoon and stir until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pot. Add half of the Parmesan cheese to the polenta and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Top with the other half of the parmesan.
• Evenly spread the roasted vegetables on top of the polenta. Spread the tomato sauce over the vegetables and top with grated mozzarella cheese. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Let rest for about 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

POLENTA PASTICCIATA: BAKED POLENTA LAYERED WITH LONG-COOKED SAUCES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400° and set a rack in the center.
• Put plastic wrap on fresh polenta to keep it hot and to prevent a skin from forming on top. Be sure to assemble the pasticciata within 1/2 hour, while the polenta is still warm and soft with no lumps.
• If necessary, heat the filling sauce to quite warm. If it is too dense for spreading, thin it with some water. If you're extending the filling sauce with simple tomato or marinara sauce, warm them up together.
• Butter the bottom and sides of the baking dish or skillet thoroughly. Use more butter on the bottom in particular, if you want to unmold the pasticciata.
• Put 1/4 cup besciamella in the dish or skillet and spread it around the bottom; it doesn't have to cover every bit.
• Pour in half the polenta (approximately 5 cups) and spread it evenly in the bottom of the pan. Scatter 1/3 cup or more shredded Muenster or other soft cheese all over the top, then sprinkle on 2 to 4 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano. Pour or ladle 2 cups of the warm sauce over the polenta and cheese, and spread it all over-use 3 cups sauce if you want a thicker layer.
• Pour on a bit more than half of the remaining polenta (about 3 cups) and spread it. Spread another 1/4 cup of besciamella on top, top with shredded soft cheese and grated hard cheese in the amounts you like. Pour in the remaining sauce and spread it evenly, reserving a cup, if you have enough and plan to unmold the pasticciata.
• For the top layer, spread all the rest of the polenta and another 1/4 cup besciamella on top of that. Sprinkle on more shredded soft cheese and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano. If you're making a thin pasticciata in a big pan, or want it to have a beautiful deep gold gratinato, use enough besciamella and cheese to really cover the top. Do not compress the cheeses, though. See do-ahead note below.
• Set the pan on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or more, until the top is deeply colored and crusted, even browned a bit on the edges. Let the pasticciata cool for a few minutes before serving. If you are serving portions from the baking pan, cut in squares like lasagna, or wedges if you've used a round skillet or pan, and lift them out with a spatula.
• To unmold the pasticiatta, let it cool for at least 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the pan, cutting through crust sticking to the rim or sides. Lay a cutting board, big enough to cover it, on top of the baking pan or skillet, hold the two together (with the protection of cloths and the help of other hands if necessary), and flip them over. Rap on the upturned pan bottom-or bang on it all over-to loosen the bottom. Lift the board, and give the pan a good shake. The pasticciata will drop out soon, with sufficient encouragement. Serve it on the board, or reflip it onto a serving platter and serve with a cup or more of warm sauce heaped on the top or served on the side.
• If you want to prepare the pasticciata and bake later the same or next day, spread the last layer of polenta and coat it well with besciamella but don't sprinkle on the final layer of cheeses. Cover it lightly and leave it at room temperature, or wrap well and refrigerate overnight. Before baking, sprinkle on the cheeses and make a tent of foil (see page 203) over the baking dish, without touching the cheese. Poke a few small holes in the foil to vent steam. Set the pan on a sheet and bake for 1/2 hour at 400°, remove the foil, and continue to bake until deeply colored and crusted.
• *You can serve this with or without freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; it will be richer with, but just as good without.
• †Good alternatives are dry-packed mozzarella, Italian Fontina, cheddar, or other cheeses of your liking.
• All of the sauces that I recommend for layering in a pasticciata are delicious just ladled on top of hot polenta. You'll need 1/3 to 1/2 cup of hot sauce for each serving of Basic Polenta (finished with freshly grated cheese) or any of the Simple Variations that follow (page 216). Put the polenta in warm serving bowls, sprinkle over more Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano-it melts best under the sauce-then spoon the sauce on top.
• Hearty sauces like mushroom ragù or savoy cabbage and bacon are particularly delicious with polenta taragna, a coarse grind of whole-grain cornmeal and buckwheat. Prepare taragna exactly as you do yellow polenta, but give it an extra 10 to 15 minutes of cooking and more water as needed.

VENETIAN STYLE POLENTA CAKES WITH CAVOLINI DI BRUXELLES RECIPE

Steps:

• In a 6-quart stock pot combine the water and heavy cream and bring to a boil. Slowly add the polenta in a thin stream while stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Reduce the heat to a low flame and slowly incorporate the semolina flour. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Allow to cool for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil 6 (3-inch) individual cake pans.
• Take the cooled polenta and pack into the prepared cake pans. Place the polenta cakes on a half sheet pan and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before unmolding.
• In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and lightly cook the onions and pancetta, if using, until golden brown. Add the Brussels sprouts and thyme sprigs. Place in preheated oven and roast until soft, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Remove the thyme.
• In a separate pan, combine the baby carrots with equal parts oil and water to cover. Slowly bring to a simmer and cook until tender. Remove the carrots from the oil and combine with the Brussels sprouts.
• To finish, reheat the polenta cakes in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. As the polenta is cooking, slowly reheat the Brussels sprouts and carrots. Just before serving, place the polenta cakes in a bowl. Finish the Brussels sprouts and carrots with the red wine vinegar and salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the vegetables around the polenta cakes in the bowl.

POLENTA PASTIZADA----VENETIAN POLENTA PIE

Steps:

• Make sauce: Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of butter, and gently saute the onion, carrots, celery and bacon until they change color.
• Add the veal, let this brown, then pour in the wine.
• Cook for 5 minutes.
• Peel, seed, and finely chop the tomatoes.
• Add these to the pan, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook gently for 1 1/2 hours.
• While the sauce cooks: Soak the mushrooms in warm water and finely chop the giblets.
• When the mushrooms have been soaking for 30 minutes, drain, pat dry, and chop finely.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, at least 8 1/2 cups.
• Pour in the cornmeal, stirring constantly, lower the heat, and cook gently, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes, or until it is a thick, smooth mass.
• Pour it into a square baking pan, let it cool, and then cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.
• Set aside.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter and saute the mushrooms and giblets gently for 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle lightly with salt.
• Rub a fairly large pie dish generously with butter.
• Cover with a layer of polenta, and spread with a layer of the meat sauce, another of polenta and one of mushrooms and giblets.
• Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and add a layer of sliced Parmesan.
• Dot with butter.
• Continue in this manner until all the ingredients are used up, finishing with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan and slivers of butter.
• Bake at 475 degrees 30 minutes, or until heated through and serve very hot.