Polenta is a very common dish on our table especially in the winter. It’s the perfect accompaniment for  stews or sausages and ideal with some fish dishes. Polenta itself can be enriched with cheeses and butter or filled with meat or cheeses and baked. This particular polenta pasticciata recipe is from Lombardy, one of the many variations you can find. The polenta is prepared plain and then poured over a round wooden board and cooled. The dish consists of layers of polenta alternated with meat sauce and Parmesan cheese baked until golden brown. It is an earthy and rich in taste dish, I personally find polenta comforting and soothing. I’m sure this recipe will warm up your day too.

Ingredients:

For the polenta:
18 oz. (medium grind) cornmeal
2 quarts water
2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Polenta can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. If you make it the same day it has to cool at room temperature before making the recipe.

For the sauce:
11 oz. Italian sausage
11 oz. ground pork meat
0.8 oz. (25 grams) dry porcini mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
2 Tbsp. tomato sauce (without citric acid)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Follow the instructions for basic polenta recipe be careful because the polenta will splash as it thickens. Cook it for 40 minutes mixing often and when ready pour it over a round wooden cutting board to cool. That can be a lot of mixing.  I use a stainless steel pan with the very heavy bottom. Once the polenta is mixed in I can cover it an reduce the heat to a minimum and it cooks  perfectly without stirring and without burning.

2. Soak the porcini mushrooms in lukewarm water for about 25 minutes. Then chop them and save 1 cup of its liquid previously passed trough a strainer covered with paper towel or coffee filter to eliminate any dirt.
3. In the meantime warm up the extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Then add the ground pork and mix until browned.
4. Add the sausage with skin case removed and porcini mushrooms. Cook at high heat until well combined and then add the white wine and let it simmer until the alcohol has evaporated. Finally add the tomato sauce and the liquid from the mushrooms and let it simmer covered at medium low heat for 1 hour. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Butter a baking dish. Slice the polenta in half inch thick slices. Make the first layer of polenta then cover it with meat sauce, sprinkle it with Parmesan. Then start another layer with polenta and meat sauce, continue until the ingredients are finished. Finish with a layer of polenta, sprinkle it generously with Parmesan cheese and dot with butter. As you can see in the picture I made 2 layers of sauce and three of polenta.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 40 minutes. Grill the last 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Polenta is an important component to Northern Italian cooking.

Ingredients:

2 cups finely ground corn meal
7 cups water
1 Tbsp olive oil (optional)
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. sea salt

Instructions:

1. Add the oil to the water, bring the water to a boil in a large pan.
2. Add the polenta a bit at a time mixing constantly with a wire whisk. Be careful, as the polenta thickens up it will splash.
3. Once all the polenta is mixed reduce to a low heat.
4. Add a pinch a salt. Mix it in and taste to see if it is salty enough. If not repeat this step.
5. Cover and let simmer for 40-45 minutes. If you have a nice stainless steel pan with a thick bottom you can leave it simmer alone. If you don’t have such a pan you are going to have to mix it often with a wooden spoon.
6. If the polenta is too thick you can add a little bit of boiling water to thin it out.

Notes:

Let it cool just a bit before serving. Be careful when you eat it polenta really holds its heat well. Even 15 minutes after you turned it off it’s still hot enough to burn your mouth.

Be sure that the polenta you are using is not instant. If it is follow the instructions on the package.