Layered Polenta Loaf With Italian Sausage Cheese Recipes

SAUSAGES AND GRAPES WITH CHEESY POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning once, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add the grapes and spread the mixture into an even layer. Cover and continue to cook until the sausages are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove the sausages to a plate; cover with foil to keep warm.
• Increase the heat to high and continue cooking the grapes until they burst and the sauce is reduced, about 12 minutes. (Mash the grapes slightly with a fork if they¿re not bursting.) Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar; season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, bring the milk and 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the polenta and thyme. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until the polenta thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the fontina until smooth; season with salt and pepper.
• Stir the parsley into the grape sauce and slice the sausages. Top the polenta with the sausages, grape sauce and more parsley.

POLENTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine 1 cup water and cornmeal. In a saucepan, bring salt and remaining water to a boil. Slowly stir in cornmeal mixture. Reduce heat; cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage and garlic over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Cool slightly. Cut sausage into 1-in. pieces; return to skillet. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and parsley; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat., Spread half of the cornmeal mixture in a serving dish; top with half of the sausage mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

ITALIAN SAUSAGES IN TOMATO SAUCE WITH CHEESY POLENTA

Steps:

• Cut each sausage link into 4 pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until brown all over, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate.
• Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the skillet. When hot, add the peppers, onion and zucchini and season with salt. Cook, tossing, until the vegetables just begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and reduce until syrupy, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened and the flavors have melded, about 10 minutes.
• Return the sausage to the skillet, stir in the spinach and simmer until the sausage is heated through and the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in the polenta. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated Pecorino Romano and butter. Season with salt, if needed.
• To serve, chop the basil leaves and stir into the sauce. Spoon the hot polenta into 4 shallow bowls. Top each with some of the tomato mixture. Use a vegetable peeler to shave more cheese over the top and garnish each serving with a basil sprig.
• Party Version: Make the polenta following the directions above. Spread the finished polenta onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets in a thin even layer and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
• Cut the polenta into squares (about 1 1/2 inches) and transfer to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets (or re-line the original baking sheets). Bake at 325 degrees F until crisp, about 35 minutes. (The polenta squares will continue to crisp up as they cool.)
• Cut the sausage into thin rounds, then cook and remove following the directions above.
• Chop the bell peppers, onion and zucchini a little more finely than called for above, then follow the directions for making the tomato sauce. Add the browned sausage (but not the spinach) to the skillet and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.
• To serve, lay a spinach leaf on each polenta crisp. Top with a dollop of the tomato mixture and a sausage round. Shave a bit of the Pecorino Roman onto each and top with a basil leaf.

POLENTA AND SAUSAGES FOR A CROWD (POLENTA ALLA SPIANATORA)

Steps:

• Prepare the polenta: In a heavy-bottomed pot, whisk together polenta, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 8 cups boiling water over medium-high heat. Continue whisking as mixture comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Turn heat to low and switch from a whisk to a wooden spoon. Stir every 10 minutes or so, for about 40 minutes, adding a splash of water as necessary to keep polenta from thickening too much. It may take as much as 2 cups more liquid to achieve a smooth, pourable consistency. Taste polenta for salt and add pepper to taste. Stir well, cover and keep warm for up to 30 minutes.
• As polenta cooks, prepare the topping: Add olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until softened. Add sausages and let brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add bay leaf, garlic and basil sprig, and cook for 1 minute more. Add wine, turn up heat, and let reduce by half.
• Add crushed tomatoes and their juices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour, until sauce has thickened somewhat. Taste and adjust with salt and red-pepper flakes. (If using mushrooms, sauté over high heat in a little olive oil, until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper.)
• To serve, rinse a large circular wooden board, about 18-inch diameter, with cool water. (Alternatively, use a large platter.) Pour polenta onto the board, and, using a spatula, quickly spread it into a circle about 3/4-inch deep.
• Carefully ladle sauce over the polenta, leaving a 1-inch polenta border at the edges. Arrange sausages over the sauce. Top with mushrooms, if using. Sprinkle with basil, parsley and pecorino.
• Place polenta in the center of the table, alongside bowls of grated pecorino. To serve the dish traditionally, offer guests forks but no plates and invite them to attack the polenta nearest their chair. Alternatively, cut polenta into large slices, and serve on dinner plates.

LAYERED POLENTA LOAF WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE & CHEESE

Steps:

• In a saucepan of medium-high heat, sauté fresh sausage with 2 tablespoons olive oil and clove of garlic. Cook until brown. Discard garlic clove.
• Pulse sausage, mortadella and pancetta, separately. Combine and set aside.
• Steam spinach, just until wilted. Drain well and chop roughly.
• Have loaf pan greased and ingredients prepared, as polenta will start to harden quickly.
• Bring 4 1/2 cups of water to a rapid boil. Salt to taste. Add polenta to water by whisking in slowly. Stir in 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan and 1/4 stick of butter. Cook until mixture has thickened about 1 minute.
• Layer in loaf pan: 1/3 polenta mixture, sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella, meat mixture, then top with spinach. Top with another 1/3 of polenta mixture, then remaining mozzarella. Cover with the rest of the polenta and chill for 1-2 hours or until set.
• To serve: preheat oven to 375Ëš. Flip loaf pan to remove terrine, then slice. On a shallow, non-stick baking sheet, arrange slices and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until warmed and cheese melted.
• Serve with a salad of torn burrata and cherry tomatoes in olive oil.

POLENTA LAYERED WITH CABBAGE AND SAUSAGES

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add sweet Italian sausages; saut&é sausages until golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Add thinly sliced cabbage; saut&é until cabbage is wilted, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups beef stock and chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil. reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 40 minutes to blend flavors. Remove sausages.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spoon half of Basic Polenta into 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Top with half of cabbage and half of cooking liquid. Spoon remaing polenta atop cabbage. Arrage Italian sausages atop polenta. Spoon remaining cabbage and cooking liquid over sausages. Bake unitl flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

POLENTA ROUNDS WITH SAUSAGE RAGOUT

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook sausage and garlic over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes and pepper. Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until heated through. Remove from the heat; stir in basil., In another skillet, cook polenta slices in oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Serve with sausage mixture; sprinkle with cheese.

VERSATILE LAYERED POLENTA

Steps:

• For the Polenta:.
• Boil the milk and water together.
• Whisk in the cornmeal and salt. Turn down the heat and stir constantly until the polenta is suspended in the water and no longer settles to the bottom of the pot. It's done in about 15 minutes (still stirring often), but is supposedly even better if you cook it for about an hour - I wouldn't know, I'm always too impatient :).
• Take of the stove and stir in the butter or olive oil and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
• For the Lasagna:.
• In a 9x9 baking dish, ladle in 1/3 of the polenta. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce over top of the polenta. Arrange half of the mozzarella on top of that and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of parmesan.
• Ladle over half of the remaining polenta (1/3 of the original amount) and spread the left-over sauce and cheeses on top.
• Ladle over the last of the polenta and allow the lasagna to sit for about 30 minutes before baking to let the polenta set.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven until hot and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

BAKED POLENTA WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine water and milk in a large saucepan with polenta. Bring to a boil over high heat; add Parmesan cheese and butter. Stir constantly until thickened, about 3 minutes. Pour polenta into a large, round casserole dish, filling about 1 inch deep.
• Heat olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage, mushrooms, onion, and garlic in the skillet until sausage is browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Add wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, Italian seasoning, and oregano; cook over medium heat for 30 minutes.
• Pour tomato sauce mixture over polenta. Top with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 20 minutes.

POLENTA LASAGNA LOAF

Steps:

• Prepare polenta: Bring water and salt to a boil over high heat. Whisk polenta into the boiling water and continue whisking until it starts to thicken, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until polenta is soft and has lost its grainy texture, 25 to 40 minutes.
• Remove polenta from the stove and quickly whisk in butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
• Transfer polenta to a silicone baking liner (or oiled foil or parchment paper). Spread it out evenly almost to the edges into an 8x13-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and smooth out the top with your hands. Place a baking sheet on top and press slightly to further flatten.
• Slide the silicone liner and polenta onto the baking sheet and place in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.
• Remove polenta from the refrigerator and cut, from one long edge to the other, into 8-inch long strips.
• Prepare filling: Stir ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, mozzarella, salt, pepper, cayenne, egg, and parsley in a bowl until well combined.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan with 1 tablespoon oil.
• Place one strip of polenta into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. Spread 1/3 of the filling on top as evenly as you can. Top with about 1 cup hot meat sauce. Repeat polenta-filling-sauce layers twice more. Place the last piece of polenta on top, then gently shake and tap the pan to settle the contents. Place the loaf pan on top of a sheet pan to catch any spills while baking. Loosely wrap the top of the loaf pan with foil, making sure it's not touching the polenta.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven, discard foil, and let rest for at least 15 minutes.
• Divide onto 6 plates. Garnish with parsley and serve with additional sauce.

POLENTA WITH SAUSAGE AND ASIAGO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Grate enough Asiago cheese to measure 1/4 cup. Cut remaining cheese into 1/2-inch dice.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and stir until golden, about 3 minutes. Add salami and stir 1 minute. Transfer pancetta mixture and pan drippings to bowl. Add sausages to same skillet; sauté until cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towels to drain.
• Bring 7 cups water to boil in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Reduce heat to low; cook until polenta thickens and starts to pull away from sides of pan, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Stir in pancetta mixture, diced Asiago cheese and 2 tablespoons butter. Transfer polenta to prepared baking dish. Arrange sausage over polenta; sprinkle with grated Asiago. Bake until polenta is set and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.