Erica De Mane

Serving polenta, by Pietro Longhi, 1701-1785.

Recipe: Polenta Lasagna with Cabbage and Fontina

This slightly creepy painting sums up for me what I dislike about polenta. It’s a big lump of mush poured out onto, in this case, a tablecloth. Now don’t you find that somewhat disgusting?

Polenta is mush, and mush is not my thing.  My father never liked it either, maybe because it was a northern Italian dish forced on him late in life by culinary fashion (along with  vitello tonnato and beef carpaccio, dishes my mother ate in restaurants and attempted to reproduce in our Southern Italian-American home).

I do, however, like the taste of polenta. Cornmeal is wonderful, and it blends well with lots of different flavors, like cheese, mushrooms, braised meat, and many winter vegetables. I am open to all winter vegetables. As a cook, you have to be, or you’ll become as dull as yesterday’s mashed potatoes. I really love cabbage, I think primarily because it goes so well with pork fat and wine, my two favorite food groups.

When I make polenta, I make it hard, by pouring it out on a sheet pan and letting it sit until firm. Then I can cut it up and layer it in a baking dish like lasagna. I know that’s not a mind-blowing new invention, but it’s worth thinking about.

This dish is great for a party. And if you’re not into spending 30 minutes stirring real polenta, you can use instant, which takes about four minutes, although the long-cooking variety has an infinitely better flavor and texture.

Polenta Lasagna with Cabbage and Fontina

(Serves 6)

For the polenta:

3 cups cold water
1 cup cold chicken broth
2 cups polenta
1 cup milk
1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup grated grana Padano cheese

For the cabbage:

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 round of pancetta ½ inch thick, cut into small dice
1 medium onion, cut into small dice
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 medium head of green cabbage, cored and chopped into medium dice
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 allspice, ground to a powder
A few large sprigs each of rosemary and thyme
½ cup white wine
½ cup chicken broth
½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
¾ pound of fontina Val d’Aosta cheese, roughly grated

Pour the cold water and the cold chicken broth into a large saucepan. Add the polenta, and give it a good stir. Using cold liquid ensures that your polenta won’t clump up. Turn the heat to medium high, and bring the polenta to a low boil, stirring frequently. Turn the heat to low, add the milk, bay leaf, and some salt and back pepper. Stir frequently until the polenta is thick and smooth. I find this takes about 30 minutes. Add the butter, a drizzle of olive oil, and the grated grana, stirring well. If the polenta has become too thick, add a little warm water and work it in. You want a pourable consistency. Check for seasoning, adding more salt or black pepper if needed.

Coat two sheet pans well with olive oil, and pour the polenta out onto them, smoothing it down. It should be about ½ inch thick. As it cools, it will become firm, so let it sit for about an hour. You can make it the day ahead and refrigerate it, if you like, but return it to room temperature before you assemble the casserole.

To make the cabbage:

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta, and let it get good and crisp. Add the onion, and sauté until softened. Add the garlic, and sauté until it is just turning golden. Add the cabbage, seasoning it with salt, black pepper, allspice, and the herbs. Sauté until the cabbage begins to wilt, about 8 minutes. Next add the white wine, and let it bubble away. Add the chicken broth, and simmer, partially covered, until the cabbage is tender and most of the liquid has boiled off, about 20 minutes. Add the vinegar, and give it a stir. Taste for seasoning, adding salt or black pepper, if needed, or possibly another little hit of vinegar.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Coat with oil an approximately 8-by-12-inch baking dish with 2- to 3-inch sides. Cut the polenta into large pieces, and fit them into the dish, making one layer. Heap on a good amount of the cabbage mixture, and smooth it out. Scatter on an ample amount of the grated fontina, and give it a little salt and black pepper. Make another layer of polenta, another one of the rest of the cabbage, and another sprinkling of fontina. Make a final layer of polenta, and sprinkle it with the remaining fontina. Drizzle it with some olive oil, and give it a few grindings of black pepper. Place the dish on a sheet pan, and bake, uncovered, until it’s bubbling hot and the top is golden, about 35 minutes. Let the polenta rest about 15 minutes before slicing.