Polenta Wedges With Spaghetti Sauce Recipes

EASY POLENTA WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch square baking dish.
• In a large pot, combine the milk and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When it is at a rolling boil, gradually whisk in the cornmeal, making sure there are no lumps. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
• Pour the polenta into the prepared baking dish, and spread spaghetti sauce over the top.
• Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until sauce is bubbling.

POLENTA WEDGES

Steps:

• Combine milk, chives, garlic, salt, and paprika in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. While whisking, slowly sprinkle in polenta. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until polenta has thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add Parmesan and butter; stir until combined. Pour polenta into an 8 1/2-inch springform pan; let rest until completely set, about 45 minutes at room temperature.
• Preheat the broiler. Remove the outer ring from the springform pan. Cut the polenta into eight wedges. Coat with olive-oil spray, and place on a rack in the oven several inches underneath the broiler. Broil the polenta until golden brown on top and heated through, about 8 minutes. Serve.

POLENTA CAKES WITH QUICK SAUSAGE SAUCE

Steps:

• For the polenta cakes: 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 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 wrap 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!)
• For the sauce: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place the sausage in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
• In a food processor, puree the onions, fennel, celery, and garlic until it becomes a coarse paste. Season with salt and give a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.
• When the sausage is roasted, remove it from the oven and coarsely chop.
• Coat a wide, deep pot with olive oil and add the pureed veggies. Cook the veggies until they start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Toss in the chopped sausage and the tomato puree. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.
• 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 the Parmigiano.
• Transfer a few polenta cakes to a plate and top with the sausage sauce. Sprinkle with more grated Parmigiano.
• Place the pork shoulder in a bowl and keep cold until ready to use. Fill a large bowl with ice and place the bowl with the pork shoulder on top.
• Season the pork with garlic, salt, fennel seed, crushed red pepper, and coriander. Mix to combine well.
• Grind the pork shoulder twice through a grinding disk with large holes. Grind the meat into the bowl sitting on ice.
• Cook a small amount of the meat mixture to test for seasoning. Add more spices and salt, if needed. Thoroughly mix in a splash of cold water. Allow the seasoned pork to chill on ice or in the fridge before stuffing into the casing.
• Replace the grinder attachment with the horn. (Be sure to thoroughly clean the attachment area before proceeding.) Rub oil onto the horn, and then put the casing on, leaving a few inches of slack at the end.
• Stuff the casing, tie off the ends, and prick the sausage with a pin or the tip of a knife.
• Refrigerate the sausage until ready to cook.

PAN-SEARED POLENTA WITH SPICY TOMATO-BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish on rimmed baking sheet. Combine 8 cups water, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 teaspoons salt in dish. Gradually mix in polenta.
• Place baking sheet with polenta in oven. Bake polenta 1 hour. Add pepper and stir to blend. Bake 20 minutes. Stir again and spread evenly. Bake until polenta is very thick, about 20 minutes longer. Cool polenta to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours (polenta will become firm). Using metal spatula, press polenta all over to even thickness. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with plastic wrap; chill.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut polenta lengthwise into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 6 squares. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add polenta squares. Sauté until crisp and beginning to color, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer polenta to small baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining polenta, adding oil to skillet as needed.
• Divide polenta among plates. Top with warm Spicy Tomato-Basil Sauce. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired.
• Sold at some supermarkets and at natural foods stores and Italian markets. If unavailable, substitute an equal amount of regular yellow cornmeal.
• What to drink:
• A medium-bodied red Italian wine is great with the spicy sauce. One to try: Montresor NV "Il Veronese" Valpolicella ($14), a lovely red blend with dried fruit flavors and vanilla notes.

POLENTA WITH PARMESAN AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the polenta, water and salt in a 2-quart baking dish. Stir together, and place in the oven. Bake 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir in the butter and return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and stir again. Return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and stir in the Parmesan, if using. Spoon onto plates, make a depression in the middle and spoon 1/4 heaped cup of simple tomato sauce into the depression. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

BASIL CHEESE POLENTA WEDGES

Steps:

• Heat broth, cornmeal, bay leaf and pepper in saucepan to a boil.
• Stir in oil.
• Cook and stir 10 minutes or until mixture thickens.
• Remove bay leaf.
• Stir in basil and hceese.
• Pour mixture into greased 9" pie plate.
• Cover and chill 2 hours or until firm.
• Cut polenta into 6 wedges.
• To grill: brush wedges on both sides with olive oil. Place on hot grill and cook 4 minutes, turning once.
• To bake: place wedges on greased baking sheet. Bake at 375º for 20 minutes or until browned and crispy, turning once.
• To pan-fry: heat oil in nonstick skillet. Add wedges and cook 10 minut4es or until browned and crispy, turning once.

POLENTA WEDGES WITH ASPARAGUS AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat broiler, with rack 5 inches from heat. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add broth and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in cream and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Place a rimmed baking sheet in oven to heat, 5 minutes. Pat polenta wedges dry with a paper towel and lightly brush both sides with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil. Toss asparagus with 1/2 teaspoon oil.
• Carefully place asparagus on one half of hot sheet and season with salt and pepper; place polenta on other half of sheet.
• Broil until polenta is golden brown and asparagus is crisp-tender, about 6 minutes, rotating sheet and tossing asparagus halfway through. Serve polenta wedges with asparagus and creamy mushrooms.

CHEESY BAKED POLENTA IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut out a piece of parchment paper about 16-by-12 inches/40-by-30 centimeters in size and lay onto a clean work surface.
• Prepare the polenta: Add the milk, garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper to a medium saucepan. Bring to a bare simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and slowly pour in the polenta, whisking continuously, until completely incorporated and there are no lumps. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring all the while with a spatula. When cooked, the mixture should pull away from the sides of the pan and be quite thick.
• Add the Parmesan, stirring for another 30 seconds to melt. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to the parchment paper. Use your hands to quickly shape the polenta into a large cylindrical shape, about 13-inches/32-centimeters long. Use the parchment paper to help you tighten the cylinder and then gently roll the whole thing in the paper, tightening as you go, then twisting in opposite directions at both ends. Refrigerate to set for about 1 hour, or longer if time allows.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Add the olive oil to a large, ovenproof cast-iron pan that is roughly 11-inches/28-centimeters wide, and heat over medium-high. Once hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes, or until softened and lightly colored.
• Stir in the garlic, red-pepper flakes and oregano, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, sugar, a scant 1/2 cup/100 milliliters water, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Turn the heat down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Set aside until needed.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/230 degrees Celsius.
• Gently unwrap the chilled polenta and transfer to a cutting board. Trim about 1 inch/2 to 3 centimeters off the ends and then cut the polenta into 24 (1-centimeter-thick) slices.
• Top the tomato sauce evenly with the sliced fontina, then fan out the polenta slices, overlapping slightly, so that they're spiraled to cover the top, leaving a 1-centimeter gap from the edge of the pan. Drizzle the polenta with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until polenta is golden in places and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes to settle.
• While the polenta cools, in a small bowl combine all the topping ingredients. Sprinkle a handful of the topping over the polenta and serve the remaining in a bowl alongside. Serve warm.

PORCINI MATZO POLENTA WEDGES

Steps:

• Cook onion in 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add porcini and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Cool, then stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring broth and water to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan. Gradually add matzo meal, whisking, and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 2 minutes more. Stir in porcini and salt and pepper to taste. Spread polenta in an oiled 9-inch glass pie plate and let stand until firm, about 1 hour.
• Cut polenta into 12 wedges. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook wedges until crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes total.

POLENTA WEDGES WITH SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Line cookie sheet with foil. In medium nonstick saucepan, combine cornmeal and water beat with wire whisk until well blended. Add broth bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly with wire whisk, until mixture is very thick and begins to pull away from sides of pan while stirring.2. Remove from heat. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese for topping stir remaining Parmesan cheese, parsley and pimientos into cornmeal mixture. Spread evenly in ungreased 9-inch round cake pan. Cover refrigerate 10 minutes or until set.3. Meanwhile, heat spaghetti sauce in small saucepan cover to keep warm.4. Turn polenta out onto foil-lined cookie sheet, tapping bottom of pan to release. Cut into 6 wedges separate slightly. Brush tops with oil sprinkle with reserved tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.5. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. To serve, spoon spaghetti sauce over polenta wedges.Nutrition Information Per Serving: Serving Size: 1/6 of Recipe * Calories: 150 * Calories from Fat: 45 * % Daily Value: Total Fat: 5 g 8% * Saturated Fat: 1 g 5% * Cholesterol: 4 mg 1% * Sodium: 540 mg 23% * Total Carbohydrate: 20 g 7% * Dietary Fiber: 2 g 8% * Sugars: 2 g * Protein: 5 g * Vitamin A: 15% * Vitamin C: 15% * Calcium: 8% * Iron: 8% * Dietary Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch, 1/2 Fat or 1 1/2 Carbohydrate, 1/2 Fat