Polenta “Lasagne”

When we have friends over for dinner and Wendy is the one taking charge of the entrée, she is likely to make a lasagne. She prefers to put in the messy, self-doubting effort ahead of time and then present as unruffled an appearance as possible. (I, on the other hand, love to invite people into the chaos of my creations.) I love this one she found in Food & Wine’s Simply Elegant cookbook; and, because the lasagna pasta is replaced with polenta, it’s also a great option for guests avoiding gluten.

2 1/4 quarts plus 1/3 cup water

1 Tbsp plus 1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups coarse or medium cornmeal

6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 3/4 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 1/2 lb mild Italian sausage (Mama Alfieri’s ideally)

1 onion, chopped

1 (35-oz) can crushed tomatoes (about 4 cups)

1 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 lb whole-milk mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch slices

 

1.     Prepare the polenta: In a large pot, bring 2 1/4 quarts of the water and 1 tablespoon of the salt to a boil. Add the cornmeal in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Whisk in 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the polenta is very thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Spread the polenta evenly in a 10-by-14-inch baking dish or roasting pan and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.

2.     Prepare the tomato sauce: In a large pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer partially covered, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 45 minutes. Add the black pepper.

3.     Prepare the sausage: Remove the sausage meat from its casing. In a large frying pan, brown the sausage over moderately high heat, mashing with a fork to separate clumps, about 5 minutes. Drain off the excess fat.

4.     Stir 1 1/4 cups of the tomato sauce into the browned sausage. Add the 1/3 cup water to the remaining tomato sauce.

5.     If you’re planning to serve, preheat the oven to 375°F now.

6.     Unmold the polenta onto a work surface and cut it into quarters to make slicing it into layers easier. Cut each quarter horizontally into two even layers. (This step is often a source of frustration for Wendy. Sometimes it helps to use a cake-cutting wire. The layers don’t have to be pretty to be tasty though.)

7.     Assemble:

a.     Spread one cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the 10-by-14-inch baking dish.

b.     Put one of the layers (4 of the 8 pieces you’ve cut) of polenta back into the baking dish, covering the layer of tomato sauce.

c.     Top with a third of the mozzarella slices.

d.     Spread sausage mixture evenly over the mozzarella layer.

e.     Top with about half of the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.

f.      Top with another third of mozzarella.

g.     Cover with the remaining layer of polenta (4 pieces).

h.     Spread with the remaining tomato sauce.

i.      Top with the remaining cheeses.

Make ahead: Cover assembled lasagne with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Either take the lasagne out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature before baking at 375°F or add a few minutes to baking time below.

8.     Bake the lasagne until brown and bubbling, about 35 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest in a warm spot for about 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.