Polenta Lasagna

If you have been following my posts this year, you know that on the 13th, we had rabbit with polenta.  Of course, there was leftover polenta, because I always make too much on purpose.  There are so many great things to do with the leftovers.  One thing I love to do is to cool it in flat strips, and then fry it in butter till crispy on the outside.  It will still be creamy on the inside.  Great for an appetizer or hors d'oeuvres.  I did save a little bit of the polenta from the rabbit, and had it for lunch the next day with some of the leftover lentils from the previous salmon dinner.  

Fried polenta strips with lentils

Polenta will cool and solidify pretty quickly, so right after you have plated what you will eat, you want to spread the remaining polenta out on a sheet tray into one layer that's about 1/2" thick.  Then you can cut it into sheets that are the size of the pan you will use, and refrigerate or freeze it for later use.  I froze mine in a pie tin, so I had sort of odd shaped pieces, but it worked anyway... and 2 weeks later defrosted it for the "lasagna".  There was already frozen Ragu and tomato sauce from my last visit here in November, so all I had to do was defrost everything, assemble it, and stick it in the oven for a half hour.  I wish all meals were so easy!  

Here are the recipes for all 3 parts, and for the final dish.  All can be done on the same day of course (I would start with the polenta and cool it while doing the rest), but you will need several hours.  If you don't have the Ragu on hand, and you don't have all day, you can always double the amount of the tomato sauce and add some crumbled sausage to half of it for a quick meat sauce - that would still be very tasty!

Polenta lasagna

3 sheets of cooled polenta, cut to fit the size of your pan (recipe follows)
2 cups tomato sauce (recipe follows)
2 cups ragu (recipe follows)
Parmigiano Reggiano (for sprinkling on top)
2 tbsp butter, cut up into small pieces

• Butter a rectangular or square baking dish and preheat oven to 375.
• Spread about 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan.
• Lay down first layer of polenta.
• Spread tomato sauce over polenta.
• Put second layer of polenta over sauce.
• Spread ragu over polenta.
• Top with remaining polenta, parmigiano, and dot with butter.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling. Let rest for 10 minutes and serve.

Creamy Herb Polenta

1 ½ cups polenta

6 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon salt

½ cup heavy cream

2 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

1 bunch sage

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

• Bring stock to a boil in a large pot, then add salt.  Make a whirlpool in center with a whisk and slowly pour polenta into center.  Turn heat down to a low simmer and cook, stirring almost constantly, for about 30 minutes until tender to the bite.
• While polenta cooks, gently heat cream and herbs in a small pot.
• When polenta is done, strain herbs out of cream and stir cream into polenta.  Stir in butter and cheese.  Taste and add salt if necessary.

Quick Tomato Sauce:

1 large or 2 small onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsps olive oil
2 - 28 oz. cans San Marzano tomatoes (these are tomatoes that are grown in the south of Italy, but if you can't find them, any canned plum tomatoes will do)
salt & pepper to taste plus any dried Italian herbs on hand such as oregano and basil.

• Heat oil, add onion and garlic, and saute till soft, about 5 minutes.
• Put tomatoes through a food mill into the pan (including any liquid from the can).

Season with salt, pepper and herbs and simmer for about 20 minutes. 

Ragu a la Bolognese:

1 onion, very finely diced
1 carrot, very finely diced
1 rib of celery, very finely diced
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
3/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste

• Melt butter in a large sauce pan, add onion, carrot and celery. Season with a bit of salt and saute till soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add ground meat to pan and cook till no longer pink, breaking up with a wooden spoon (do not brown).
• Add wine and cook till evaporated.
• Stir in tomato paste until well combined, then add about 1/4 cup of the stock.
• Cook covered for about 1 1/2 hours over a very low heat (just simmering), adding stock a little at a time. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add cream and heat through (if you are planning to freeze the sauce, omit the cream and add it when you re-heat).

Saddle of Rabbit with Herb Polenta

Once again, we got to have a meal without buying any groceries - imagine that!  I've only been to the store once all week.  I always tell people, if there's a natural disaster (or the zombie apocalypse), come to my parents house, where there is enough food to feed an army!  We were going to have this rabbit last night, but it was still frozen, so we had some store-bought ravioli that were in the fridge with butter and sage.  By tonight, the bunnies were thawed, so we made them.  Well, mostly my mom did the rabbit, and I did the polenta.  When I was in Italy one time, about 8 years ago maybe, I bought a copper polenta pot that has a stirrer attachment.  I had to buy a converter, since Italy is on a different electrical current, but it works beautifully.  Unfortunately, that is at my house. Here, I had to stir the polenta by hand.  This is how Italian women get their muscles.  Not for the weak, but so worth the effort.  According to my mom, this is a special polenta, although I have no idea what brand it is, as it was in a glass jar in her fridge.  No, you don't have to keep polenta in the fridge, but she does.  I think it is because she is afraid of bugs getting into it - you'd have to ask her.  And I'm sure she'll comment after I post this.

For the rabbit:

3 saddles of rabbit
3-4 tbsp butter
1 sprig rosemary
salt
pepper
marsala
white wine

• Preheat the oven to 380 convection (about 395 regular)
• Place the rabbit in a baking dish.  Sprinkle the rabbit with salt and pepper, dot with butter, and put some of the rosemary on each piece.

Rabbit ready to go into the oven

• Pour some marsala (about 1/2 cup - mom, correct me if this is wrong... we don't really measure) and white wine (same amount) over and around the rabbit.
• Cook for about 45 minutes, until rabbit is done and nicely browned.

For the polenta:

1 cup polenta

4 cups water or stock

salt

1 sprig thyme

1 sprig rosemary

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano

• Heat the water or stock in a pot till boiling.  Add some salt (start with about 1 tbsp).  Make a whirlpool in the water with a whisk and slowly stir in the polenta (this is so that you don't get any lumps).  Switch to a wooden spoon and stir.  As it comes back to a boil, turn the heat down so that you have a constant very low simmer - you should see some bubbles come up, but not too many.  It will begin to thicken after just a few minutes.  Continue to stir.  And stir.  And stir.  You may stir slowly, but you want to keep the polenta moving at least a bit.  Taste it and adjust the salt if needed.

The polenta at the beginning

• Meanwhile, add the herbs, smashed garlic, and cream to a small pan and heat slowly.

herbs and garlic, ready for cream

• After you have been stirring for about 35 minutes, taste for doneness.  It should be smooth and creamy.  At this point, remove from heat and strain the cream into the polenta, discarding the herbs and garlic.  Add the cheese and stir together.

Finished polenta

Serve immediately.  Any leftovers can be turned into a number of delicious dishes.  I like to spread it out into a thin layer, refrigerate, and then fry wedges in a pan.  Or, as mom just suggested since we have a lot left, use it for a polenta lasagna.  I will post that recipe when we make it.  Basically, I take thin layers of cooked polenta and alternate it with tomato sauce and meat sauce, and top it with parm.  Another great winter meal!

Recipes from my January Meetup

Tuesday night was my first cooking class Meetup of the year. We had a great turnout with some regulars and some newcomers. The food was delicious, and we had a great time eating and watching the innaugural balls while we ate. We made Chicken Cacciatore (a la Valerie), Creamy Herb Polenta, and Fennel & Apple Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette.

Chicken Cacciatore

Serves 6 Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 50 minutes

1 whole Chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Salt & pepper to taste
Flour for dredging
Olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 28oz. can San Marzano tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
1 cup sliced green olives
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock

• Coat the bottom of a heavy skillet with olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt & pepper and dredge in flour. Brown in oil on both sides, then remove to a plate.
  
• Add onions to pan, season with a little salt and cook till soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, juice, olives, wine and stock and bring to a boil. Nestle chicken pieces into sauce with any juice on dish, and about a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper
  
• Cover and simmer very gently for about a half hour. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. If sauce is too thin, remove chicken and reduce sauce over high heat for about 5 minutes. Serve with creamy herb polenta.

Creamy Herb Polenta

Serves 6-8 Prep time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

1 1/2 cups polenta
6 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1 bunch sage
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

• Bring stock to a boil in a large pot, then add salt. Make a whirlpool in center with a whisk and slowly pour polenta into center. Turn heat down to a low simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for about 20-30 minutes until tender to the bite.
  
• While polenta cooks, gently heat cream and herbs in a small pot.
  
• When polenta is done, strain herbs out of cream and stir cream into polenta. Stir in butter and cheese. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Fennel & Apple Salad

Serves 6 Prep time: 15 minutes

2 Granny Smith Apples
1-2 Fennel bulbs
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
1/4 cup toasted pecans
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 small shallot, chopped very fine
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• Put lemon juice, zest, shallot, salt and pepper in a salad bowl. Whisk in olive oil.
  
• Slice apples and fennel on a mandoline on a very thin setting (or slice very thinly with a sharp knife) and place immediately into vinaigrette to prevent discoloration. Add cheese and pecans and toss to combine.
  

Last Supper

Tonight is my last night in beautiful downtown Potomac, so I made a Polenta "lasagna". Seemed like a good night for it, since it's been cold and rainy all day. It came out quite well, and may even make its way back to the table (even though leftovers are frowned upon in this house...) Here is my recipe:

Polenta "Lasagna"

1 1/2 cups Polenta
6 cups water
1 tbsp salt
1 cup tomato sauce (recipe follows)
1 cup ragu (recipe follows)
Parmigiano Reggiano (for sprinkling on top)
about 1 tbsp olive oil

• Boil water and add salt. With a whisk, form a whirlpool and slowly pour polenta into the middle, stirring constantly. As soon as it comes back up to a bubble, turn heat down to a low simmer, and continue to stir occasionally for about 20-25 minutes, till polenta is cooked. (it should be tender to the bite).
• Meanwhile, butter a square baking dish and preheat oven to 375.
• When polenta is cooked, spread about 1/3 in the bottom of the baking dish.
• Spread tomato sauce over polenta.
• Spread second third of polenta over sauce.
• Spread ragu over polenta.
• Top with remaining polenta, parmigiano, and drizzle with olive oil.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling. Let rest for 10 minutes and serve.

This is a fairly quick dish to make if you have the sauces prepared ahead of time. I almost always have some in the freezer, as these both freeze very well. If you don't have the ragu, and don't have time to make it, you can double the amount of tomato sauce and add some crumbled sausage to it. If you're in a real bind, you can buy a jar of sauce, but it's just as easy to make it while the polenta cooks (that's what I did tonight!)

Quick Tomato Sauce:

1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes (these are tomatoes that are grown in the south of Italy, but if you can't find them, any canned plum tomatoes will do)
salt & pepper to taste plus any dried herbs on hand such as oregano and basil.

• Heat oil, add onion and garlic, and saute till soft, about 5 minutes.
• Put tomatoes through a food mill into the pan (including any liquid from the can).
• Season with salt, pepper and herbs and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Ragu a la Bolognese:

1 onion, very finely diced
1 carrot, very finely diced
1 rib of celery, very finely diced
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
3/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste

• Melt butter in a large sauce pan, add onion, carrot and celery. Season with a bit of salt and saute till soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add ground meat to pan and cook till no longer pink, breaking up with a wooden spoon (do not brown).
• Add wine and cook till evaporated.
• Stir in tomato paste until well combined, then add about 1/4 cup of the stock.
• Cook covered for about 1 1/2 hours over a very low heat (just simmering), adding stock a little at a time. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add cream and heat through (if you are planning to freeze the sauce, omit the cream and add it when you re-heat).