Calzagatti Pan Fried Polenta And Beans Recipes

CALZAGATTI (PAN-FRIED POLENTA AND BEANS)

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups of water to boil in a large pot. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle in polenta, whisking constantly, to avoid lumps from forming. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until polenta is creamy and no longer gritty, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat.
• While polenta is cooking, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet. Add guanciale and saute until crispy. Add minced onion, garlic clove, and rosemary and cook until garlic is lightly browned and fragrant but not burned, about 1 minute. Remove and discard garlic clove. Stir in cranberry beans and tomatoes and simmer until thickened a bit, about 5 minutes.
• Fold bean mixture into polenta and mix well. Pour into a 9-inch square glass dish or silicone cake pan and allow to cool, about 30 minutes.
• Flip cooled polenta over and set out, covered with cheesecloth, to air-dry until most of the moisture has evaporated, 8 hours to overnight.
• Cut dried polenta into 2x3-inch rectangles.
• Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. Add a few polenta rectangles to the hot oil and cook until brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes, without disturbing the calzagatti. Flip, and cook until brown and crisp on the other side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Continue with the rest of the calzagatti, adding more oil as necessary.

FRIED POLENTA

Steps:

• Cut one 18-ounce tube polenta into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the polenta in flour and fry in batches until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side (add more oil if necessary). Drain on a rack; sprinkle with salt and grated parmesan.

FRIED POLENTA

Steps:

• Lightly oil an 11 by 7-inch baking dish. Transfer the hot polenta to the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly to 3/4-inch thick. Refrigerate until cold and firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Cut the polenta into 2 by 1-inch pieces. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the polenta pieces until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer the polenta pieces to paper towels and drain. Place the polenta pieces on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while cooking the remaining batches.
• Transfer the polenta pieces to a serving platter. Sprinkle the polenta with the Parmesan cheese and salt. Serve, passing the marinara sauce alongside.
• Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted.

POLENTA OR GRITS WITH BEANS AND CHARD

Steps:

• Chop 1/2 of the onion and set aside. To cook dried beans, transfer with their soaking water to a heavy pot. If beans are not covered by 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water, add more water as necessary. Over medium-high heat, bring to a gentle boil and skim away foam. Add unchopped halved onion, crushed garlic cloves and bouquet garni, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour. Using tongs, removed halved onion and whole garlic cloves.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet and add chopped onion and carrot. Cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes, and add chard stems, garlic and pepper flakes. Continue to cook for another couple of minutes, until onion and chard stems are soft. Stir vegetable mixture into beans. Add tomato paste and salt to taste (I use at least 1 1/2 teaspoons), cover and continue to simmer very gently for 1 hour or until beans are tender all the way through and their texture is plush and velvety. Remove and discard bouquet garni.
• Add chard greens (depending on the size of your pot you may have to add a portion at a time, cover for a minute until the first portion wilts, then add the next portion and so on until all of the greens have been added) and continue to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until greens are tender but still have some color and life in them. Taste bean broth; it should taste rich, delicious, a little spicy. Add salt as necessary. Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, toward the end of the cooking time for the beans, cook polenta; or wait until beans are done and start polenta or grits. When done, spoon into wide soup bowls and press down in the middle with the back of a spoon. Spoon beans and greens with broth over polenta or grits. Top with a little Parmesan or feta and serve.

CALZAGATTI (PAN-FRIED POLENTA AND BEANS)

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups of water to boil in a large pot. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle in polenta, whisking constantly, to avoid lumps from forming. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until polenta is creamy and no longer gritty, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat.
• While polenta is cooking, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet. Add guanciale and saute until crispy. Add minced onion, garlic clove, and rosemary and cook until garlic is lightly browned and fragrant but not burned, about 1 minute. Remove and discard garlic clove. Stir in cranberry beans and tomatoes and simmer until thickened a bit, about 5 minutes.
• Fold bean mixture into polenta and mix well. Pour into a 9-inch square glass dish or silicone cake pan and allow to cool, about 30 minutes.
• Flip cooled polenta over and set out, covered with cheesecloth, to air-dry until most of the moisture has evaporated, 8 hours to overnight.
• Cut dried polenta into 2x3-inch rectangles.
• Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. Add a few polenta rectangles to the hot oil and cook until brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes, without disturbing the calzagatti. Flip, and cook until brown and crisp on the other side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Continue with the rest of the calzagatti, adding more oil as necessary.

POLENTA WITH CABBAGE, BEANS, AND BACON

Steps:

• To make polenta:
• In a heavy kettle cook bacon over moderate heat until brown. Increase heat to moderately high and add onion and cabbage with salt to taste. Sauté mixture, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften and begin to brown.
• Add beans and water and bring to a boil. Gradually stir in cornmeal with salt to taste in a thin stream, stirring constantly, and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until polenta is thick and pulls away from side of kettle, about 40 minutes. Stir in oil.
• Serve polenta sprinkled with Parmesan.
• To cook borlotto* or pinto beans:
• In a saucepan simmer beans (1/2 cup dried beans) in 4 cups water, covered, 45 minutes, or until tender, and remove pan from heat. Cool beans in cooking liquid and drain. Beans may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
• *available at specialty foods shops

BEANS AND GREENS POLENTA BAKE

Steps:

• Pour warm polenta into a large ovenproof skillet or a ceramic baking dish or metal baking pan and spread into an even layer (ideally about 1" thick). Let cool, then cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.
• Preheat oven to 500°F. Heat garlic and ¼ cup oil in a large skillet over medium, stirring occasionally, until garlic is fragrant and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add beans and red pepper flakes (if using), then, working in batches, add kale, letting it wilt slightly after each addition before adding more, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and evenly darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Stir in vinegar and salt and cook, still stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in ¼ cup Parmesan.
• Scrape kale mixture over prepared polenta and spread into an even layer. Drizzle with more oil and sprinkle with more Parmesan.
• Transfer skillet to oven and bake until polenta is warmed through and topping is lightly crisped and browned, 8-10 minutes.

BEANS AND SAUSAGE WITH POLENTA (LIDIA BASTIANICH)

Steps:

• Rinse beans and soak them in plenty of cold water for 8 hours or overnight.
• Drain and place the beans in a 4-quart saucepan with fresh cold water, covering them by an inch or more, along with the 4 bay leaves and 2 tablespoons oil.
• Bring to a boil, partially cover the pot, and adjust the heat to maintain a bubbling simmer.
• When the beans are almost tender, but still slightly undercooked, after about 40 minutes, remove from the heat; drain through a colander.
• Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon salt and let cool; discard the bay leaves.
• Add 4 tablespoons olive oil into the wide saucepan, scatter the bacon pieces into it, and set over med-high heat.
• Cook, stirring, until the bacon starts rendering fat, then drop in the sausages; let them sizzle and begin to brown.
• Add the chopped onion and the two bay leaves, and stir them around the pan bottom; meanwhile, keep rolling over the sausages so they color on all sides.
• Cook for several minutes to allow the onion and meat to caramelize, then clear a space on the pan bottom and drop in the tomato paste.
• Stir it in the clear spot for a minute, until sizzling, then spread the paste all around the pan, stirring and tumbling the sausages so they are coated.
• Pour the red wine vinegar into a clear space in the pan, let it sizzle and evaporate for a few minutes, then stir and tumble everything again.
• Pour 1 cup of hot water into the saucepan, increase the heat, and deglaze the caramelization as the water bubbles.
• Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir well.
• Rinse the tomato containers with a second cup of water, and pour that in too.
• Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir everything together, and bring to a boil.
• Keep the tomato sauce bubbling gently for about 10 minutes, then spill the beans into the pan; stir in the beans while the sauce returns to a boil.
• Stir in the water, if needed, so the sauce is loose and nearly covers the sausages and beans.
• Cook at a gentle boil, stirring now and then, until the beans are tender and the sauce has nicely thickened, 10 minutes or more (add water if the beans need longer cooking; or, if the sauce seems too loose, reduce it quickly over high heat).
• Turn off the heat, and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
• Cover the pan to keep the beans warm until the polenta is ready to serve.
• Assemble individual portions in warm wide pasta bowls; first dip a large spoon in water, and with it scoop up polenta and mound it in each bowl.
• Spoon over a generous helping of beans in sauce, and lay a sausage on top.
• Drizzle with olive oil, grind on more black pepper, and serve immediately.