From bounce@cheftochef.net Fri Jun 4 16:46:05 2004 Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 02:49:19 +0000 (UTC) From: Chef2Chef Recipe Club Reply-To: newsletter@cheftochef.net Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes Subject: Polenta Lasagna Followup-To: rec.food.cooking, rec.food.recipes Polenta Lasagna 4 cups water 1 cup polenta 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil 2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley 1 tablespoon olive oil 3/4 pound mozzarella, sliced into 16 slices 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved 1/2 cup roasted garlic cloves (see note below) 1 cup Cucina Viansa Basil Pesto (or pesto recipe that follows) 4 medium Roma tomatoes, sliced (about 1/2 pound) 3 cups Tavola di Viansa Puttanesca Pasta Sauce or red pasta sauce Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Slowly drizzle in polenta and herbs, stirring continuously. When water returns to a boil, lower heat and cook polenta, stirring frequently, about 15 to 20 minutes, until polenta loses it grittiness. Preheat oven to 375:F. Using 1 tablespoon olive oil, grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread 1/3 of the hot polenta on the bottom of the baking dish. Layer half of the mozzarella slices on the polenta and evenly distribute the kalamata olives and roasted garlic over the mozzarella. Spread half of the remaining polenta over the top and spread the basil pesto over it. Spread the remaining polenta over the pesto and top with remaining mozzarella and the sliced tomatoes. Bake for 30 minutes to heat throughout. Remove from the oven and cut into 3-inch squares. For an elegant presentation, serve each square on a plate covered with 1/4 cup heated pasta sauce (or, if you prefer, serve the pasta sauce drizzled over the top of the lasagna). Pesto: 1/2 cup Viansa Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts 1 tablespoon pine nuts 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano leaves 2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley 3 cloves garlic 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Combine all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor or blender and purie until smooth. Set aside. Note for Roasting Garlic: We use so much roasted garlic in Viansa and Cucina Viansa dishes that I developed a speedy method of blanching and sautiing the garlic to obtain the same sweet, delicious results as baking the whole heads. Cooked garlic cloves keep well in the refrigerator, so make a large batch to have roasted garlic available when needed. Immerse peeled garlic cloves (approximately 37 cloves for 1/2 cup) in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and pat with paper towels until dry. In a small, heavy saucepan or sauti pan, cook the garlic cloves in 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, turning continuously until golden brown. Remove garlic cloves from oil and drain on paper towels. Cool garlic oil and reserve for other uses such a sautiing vegetables or chicken. Serves 12. Chef2Chef Recipe Club Member Forum: http://forums.chef2chef.net ARCHIVE: at: http://chef2chef.net/news/club/ -- Rec.food.recipes is moderated by Patricia Hill at recipes@swcp.com. Only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting. Please allow several days for your submission to appear. Archives: http://www.cdkitchen.com/rfr/ http://recipes.alastra.com/