Polenta Pasticciata con Ragu di Carne, a dish from the Campania region of southern Italy. This is a polenta casserole with a typical Italian ragu di carne. Polenta is made of coarse yellow cornmeal slowly cooked in water or stock until the desired consistency is met. While polenta is more often served soft and creamy, the polenta in this dish is cooked for 30-40 minutes and left to firm up until it is firm and can be sliced. .
Polenta isn’t very commonly known or eaten in the U.S.. It’s still mostly eaten in Italy. Polenta has been around since Roman times and was originally a peasant food. Before corn was introduced to Europe from the New World in the 16th century, polenta was made with other starchy ingredients such as millet, spelt, farro, chickpeas and chestnut flour. And though traditionally a poor man’s food, polenta is considered fine dining in the U.S. and is commonly served in more upscale restaurants.
This Polenta “Lasagna” is Italian comfort food at its finest. Beautiful in presentation and delicious to the taste.
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- For the Polenta:
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon salt
- For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ lb ground beef
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 cans (15 oz) petite diced tomatoes, with their juices
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced, or 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
- To make the polenta: In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Slowly add the cornmeal in a thin, steady stream while whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then add the salt. When the polenta begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, whisking steadily, until the mixture is thick and pulls away from the pot, 15-20 minutes.
- Oil two 8-inch square baking pans and pour the polenta into them, dividing equally. Use a rubber spatula moistened with water to spread the mixture and flatten it evenly. Once it has cooled, place it in the refrigerator until firm, at least one hour. The polenta can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge covered with plastic wrap.
- In the meantime, to make the sauce, melt the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the ground beef and stir to break up any lumps. Cook for 10 minutes until the beef is browned and no pink is remaining.
- Add the wine and bring to a rapid boil for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, herbs, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste. Return the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer, uncovered for 45 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a large rectangle baking dish.
- Cut the polenta into eight 4-inch squares and place half of the squares in the bottom of the rectangle baking dish. Spoon half of the sauce evenly over the polenta squares and top with half of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan-Reggiano. Arrange the remaining 4 polenta squares on top and cover with the remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan-Reggiano cheeses.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbling. Let the casserole stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Inspired by Michele Scicolone, Williams Sonoma
Linny F Delisio-long says
Brought to mind a story an italian gentleman told me years ago. He grew up in an Italian household during the depression. His mother made polenta often. As there was little meat, the meat was placed in the middle of the large serving platter of polenta. The rule was, you couldn’t touch the meat until you ate your way to it. Assured everyone was full when they got to the meat.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s a great story, Linny, thanks for sharing!
Colleen says
I would give this 4 stars. I don’t eat red meat so I subbed the ground beef for ground lean chicken and it was good. The polenta was way too thick and, stacked, barely fit in my casserole dish (in the larger dish, there was way too much empty space). I would probably use about half the polenta next time to make thinner layers. Also, cooking time said 40 minutes uncovered. After about 10 minutes, the top layer of cheese started burning, so I covered it with foil or it would have been completely scorched by the end of the cook time. Overall, nice flavor and would make again.
Barbara says
This came out so delicious that I am planning a dinner party to serve it to friends! Very yummy. thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Barbara, thank you!