Polenta Torte Recipes

LIDIA BASTIANICH'S POLENTA TORTA WITH GORGONZOLA AND SAVOY CABBAGE

Steps:

• Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Pour the just-cooked polenta into the greased cake pan. Let stand until cool, then refrigerate until completely chilled, about 4 to 5 hours.
• When the polenta is firm, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 10-inch, 4-inch-tall springform pan, coat with bread crumbs, and shake any excess out of the pan. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan with ample salted water. Bring to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove any wilted or yellow leaves from the cabbage and cut out the core. Cut the cabbage into 1-inch chunks. Add these to the pot with the potatoes, and cook until both vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes more.
• Drain the vegetables thoroughly. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the thyme and garlic, and cook until garlic is just golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cabbage-potato mixture, the salt, and the pepper flakes. Cook, turning the vegetables occasionally, until the liquid is evaporated and the vegetables begin to sizzle. Mash the vegetables coarsely with the spoon as you turn them, leaving plenty of lumps. Be careful not to scorch the mixture-just cook it until the liquid has evaporated. Remove the garlic cloves (if they haven't mashed into the mixture) and discard.
• Invert the cooled polenta cake onto a cutting board. With a long, thin knife, slice the cake into three even horizontal layers. Place the top layer upside down in the bottom of the buttered 10-by-4-inch springform pan. Top with half of the potato-cabbage mixture and half of the Gorgonzola. Top the cheese with the center layer of polenta, and top that with the remaining potato-cabbage mixture and Gorgonzola. Place the bottom layer of the polenta cake upside down over the torta and press gently. Brush the top of the torta with the 2 tablespoons butter, and sprinkle with the grated Grana Padano. Bake the torta until the top layer of cheese is lightly browned and the torta is heated through, about 40 minutes.
• Remove, and let cool 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the sides of the springform pan, and cut the torta into slices to serve.

POLENTA TORTE

Steps:

• Squeeze spinach and kale dry. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add spinach, kale, ham and pepper; sauté 4 minutes.
• Preheat oven to hot 400°F Butter 2 ½ quart soufflé dish, or line 8 inch springform pan with heavy duty aluminum foil; butter sides and bottom.
• Bring 4 cups water to boiling in large saucepan. Stir together remaining 1 cup water, the cornmeal and salt in a bowl. Gradually stir cornmeal mixture into boiling water. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Spread 1/3 of polenta in prepared dish. Cover with half the greens, half the Romano and 1/3 of the fontina. Repeat layering one more time. Spread with remaining polenta; sprinkle with remaining fontina.
• Bake in preheated hot oven 400°F for 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. If using springform pan, remove sides. Makes 8 servings.
• MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS (HIGH POWER OVEN).
• Combine oil, onion and garlic in microwave safe 2 quart casserole. Microwave, uncovered, at 100% power 3 minutes. Add spinach, kale, ham and pepper. Microwave, uncovered, at 100% power 5 minutes. Transfer vegetable mixture to small bowl.
• Combine water, cornmeal and salt in microwave safe 2 quart measure. Cover with paper toweling. Microwave at 100% power 7 minutes. Whisk well. Microwave, uncovered, at 100% power 4 minutes. Whisk again. Assemble torte in same 2 quart casserole. Spread 1/3 of polenta in prepared dish. Cover with half the greens, half the Romano and 1/3 of the fontina. Repeat layering one more time. Spread with remaining polenta; sprinkle with remaining fontina. Microwave, uncovered, at 50% power 5 minutes. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes.
• The Family Circle Cookbook.

POLENTA TORTA

Steps:

• Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. For the tomato layer: In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and cool slightly. Stir in the tomatoes. Return the pan to the heat and add the red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has formed a chunky sauce, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the bechamel sauce: In a 1-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Stir in the nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Simmer over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
• For the pesto: In a food processor, combine the basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Stir the pesto into the bechamel sauce until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
• For the polenta: In a large, heavy saucepan, bring 6 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over medium-low heat. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and the cornmeal is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter. To assemble the torta: Working quickly, spread half of the warm polenta in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Add the pesto mixture and spread on top of the polenta. Spoon the remaining polenta on top and smooth with a spatula. Spread the tomato mixture on top. Cool the torta at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the layers have set, about 4 hours. Remove the outer ring from the pan, then remove the parchment paper. Place the torta on a platter and cut into thin wedges. Serve with grilled bread. Cook's Note: To toast the pine nuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven until lightly toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely before using.

HARD POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• In a saucepan combine the milk, water, bay and cayenne. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and season generously with salt. Take the seasoning to the edge of too salty. To do this you MUST taste as you go. Polenta acts as a salt eraser, if you don't season abundantly here you will never recover from it.
• Once the liquid is at a boil and is seasoned appropriately, sprinkle in the polenta whisking constantly. Once the polenta is combined switch over to a wooden spoon and stir frequently until the polenta has become thick. Taste the polenta to see if it has cooked through. If it still feels mealy and grainy, add some more milk or water and cook it to a thick consistency. Repeat this process, as needed, until the polenta feels smooth on your tongue, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the chopped sage and mascarpone.
• Line a 7 by 7-inch square pan with plastic wrap. Pour the polenta into the prepared pan. Cover the top with more plastic smoothed onto the surface of the polenta. Chill in the refrigerator until needed. (All of this can totally be done ahead of time, like yesterday! Cool!)
• When ready to use, remove the polenta from the pan and cut into desired shapes. Coat a nonstick saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot and starting to smoke just a little, add the polenta shapes. Cook the polenta on both sides and finish by sprinkling with a little bit grated Parmigiano. Transfer to a serving platter and serve while hot.
• What a corncake!!!!

CHEESY HAM, SPINACH AND POLENTA TORTE

Steps:

• Filling -- In a large sauce pan on medium high heat, add the olive oil, onion, garlic and saute a couple of minutes until tender. Add in the spinach, ham, pepper, salt (but go easy, ham is salty) and cook about 3-4 minutes until everything is well combined.
• Polenta -- In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the remaining cup to the corn meal and mix well. Then slowly add the corn meal mix into the boiling water and simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes stiring all the time until thick and creamy. Remove from the heat.
• Casserole -- Heat your oven to 400 and make sure you butter, not oil your casserole dish well. Now if you are using a spring form pan, line with aluminum foil and then butter the foil.
• Spread 1/3 of the polenta in the dish or pan and then cover with 1/2 of the spinach mixture. Top that with 1/2 of the parmesan and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Next layer -- 1/3 more polenta, then the remaining spinach, then the remaining parmesan and 1/3 more of the mozzarella. Finish off with the last 1/3 of the polenta and the rest of the mozzarella.
• Bake -- 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Make sure you let it rest for 10 minutes.
• If using a spring form, just remove the sides, but a casserole dish works just as well. This can be a side dish or easily a main dish.

TORTA DI RICOTTA E POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the base of an 8-inch springform tin with baking parchment and set aside.
• Place the butter, half of the honey, the lemon zest and vanilla in a bowl and use an electric mixer to beat everything until creamy. Add the egg yolks and continue to beat for a further minute. Add the almond flour, polenta and ricotta and fold everything together.
• Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until softly peaking in a separate bowl. Add the remaining honey and continue whisking until peaking again and well blended.
• Slowly fold the egg whites into the cake mixture. Turn the mixture into the prepared cake tin and sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly over the top. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The center of the cake might look slightly wobbly at first, but it will firm up when the cake cools down. Leave to cool completely before removing it from the tin.

POLENTA, GOAT CHEESE, AND MUSHROOM TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out dough into a 15-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and fit it into a 9-inch quiche dish. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch and fold toward center, pressing against side of dish. Chill shell until ready to use.
• In a skillet cook mushrooms with salt to taste in 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until golden and any liquid is evaporated. Spread mushrooms in shell and bake in middle of oven 20 minutes.
• While tart is baking, with back of a spoon force polenta through a coarse sieve into a bowl to break up lumps. Stir in sour cream and remaining 6 tablespoons butter until combined well. Force goat cheese through small teardrop-shaped holes of a grater and stir into polenta mixture with eggs and salt.
• Spread polenta mixture over mushrooms and sprinkle with thyme. Bake tart 35 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Cool tart on a rack until just warm.
• To make butter pastry dough:
• In a large bowl whisk together flour and salt and with a pastry blender or your fingertips blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork to incorporate, until mixture begins to form a dough. On a floured work surface smear dough in 3 or 4 forward motions with heel of hand to slightly develop gluten in flour and make dough easier to work with. Form dough into a ball and flatten to form a disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in 1 hour. Dough may be made 1 week ahead and chilled. Makes enough dough for a single-crust 9-inch tart.
• To make basic polenta:
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.