Creamy Soft Polenta With Meat Ragù Food

SHORT RIB RAGU AND POLENTA

Steps:

• For the short rib ragu: Place a large saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter in the oil. Add the carrot, celery, garlic and onion with a good pinch of salt and saute for 5 minutes, stirring often. Increase the heat to high, push the vegetables to the outer edges of the pan and add the short ribs and pancetta. Brown the short ribs on one side, about 4 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and turn them a quarter turn. Continue to cook, turning them as they brown, until thoroughly brown on all sides but not burnt (don't worry about crispy bits in the pan), about 15 minutes.
• Pour the white wine into the saucepan. With a wooden spoon, scrape up all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Push the meat all around to make sure you scrape it all off. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to let some of the alcohol cook off. Add the milk, diced tomatoes (with liquid), 1 teaspoon salt and a good grinding of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to the lowest heat and let simmer very slowly, half-covered and stirring from time to time, until the meat is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours; the sauce should be more oil- than water-based and thick like oatmeal. Transfer the short ribs to a plate to cool.
• When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and shred; discard any excess fat and cartilage. Return the meat to the pan. Season to taste and set aside.
• For the polenta: Combine the milk, chicken broth and 1 cup water in a pot. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Add the polenta gradually, whisking constantly. When the mixture starts to boil rapidly, reduce the heat to medium low, at a steady but not too vigorous bubble, and switch to a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring often, until thick, about 15 minutes. Stir in the Pecorino Romano and butter. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper.
• To serve, put the polenta and ragu in two separate presentation-ready pots. At the table, pour the hot polenta onto a large serving platter or board. Next, pour the hot ragu over the center of the polenta. Finish with a dramatic drizzle of olive oil and a cloud of grated pecorino.

SOFT POLENTA WITH MUSHROOM RAGU

Steps:

• Place dried mushrooms in a medium bowl; add 4 cups warm water. Let soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain in a sieve lined with a paper towel or coffee filter, reserving liquid. Squeeze mushrooms to remove excess liquid; roughly chop.
• In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add fresh mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until mushrooms release their juices, about 10 minutes. (If mushrooms begin to brown, add up to 1/4 cup water.)
• Uncover; raise heat to high. Cook, stirring often, until liquid evaporates and mushrooms brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add dried mushrooms, thyme, sherry, and tomato paste; cook until pan is dry, about 2 minutes. Stir in reserved liquid. Simmer, partially covered, until sauce has thickened, about 25 minutes. Stir in vinegar. Serve over soft polenta (see below).
• To make soft polenta: In a small bowl, whisk together the yellow cornmeal with 1 cup cold water. In a medium saucepan, bring the remaining 3 1/4 cups water, coarse salt, and ground pepper to a fill rapid boil. Gradually stir in cornmeal mixture. Simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in grated Fontina cheese and butter until melted.

ROASTED VEGETABLE RAGOUT WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• For the polenta:Coat a 8 in glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a large saucepan combine 2 cups water with broth, mustard and cayenne, bring to boiling. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in cornmeal. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, pour into baking dish, set aside to get firm.
• For the ragout: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut off and discard dark green top from the leek, cut it into 1 inch slices and put in a large bow. Add cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms and garlic, drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Spread vegetable in a large roasting pan. Roast for 8 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven and stir in corn and tomatoes. Put back in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove from oven and put vegeetables and juices in a large dutch oven.
• Put dutch oven over medium heat. Cook vegetables for 5-10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in basil, majoram and thyme.
• Meanwhile preheat broiler with top rack 4-6 inches from heat source. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Cut polenta into 12 squares and place on baking sheet. Broil 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned.
• To serve; place 2 polenta squares on each plate and top with ragout.

CLAUDIA'S CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• Place water, salt, and oil in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to boiling.
• Gradually whisk in the cornmeal.
• Boil gently, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.
• Stir in the Parmesan,basil and pepper.
• Makes 4 servings.

VEGETABLE RAGU WITH CREAMY MASCARPONE POLENTA RECIPE - (4.4/5)

Steps:

• In a large skillet, add enough olive oil for an even coat. Heat on medium high-heat. Add the vegetables to the hot skillet, and season with salt & pepper to taste.Saute the vegetables, on medium high heat, until soft (but just a little al dente) until golden brown. Because the squash cooks faster than the carrots and onion, I cooked them separately and a bit longer. When the last batch of vegetables is at the end of sauteeing, add the minced garlic. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and remove the vegetables and set aside. You want to see some browning on the bottom of the pan, after cooking all the vegetables. This is where the flavor comes from. For flavor building, add a generous splash of red wine to the hot skillet. (You could opt out of the wine by substituting a chicken or vegetable broth). Deglaze the pan, scraping up all the flavor bits from the skillet. Add the tomato paste, whisking and cooking for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce; add the Italian seasoning and sugar*. *The sugar is to balance out the acidity of the tomato sauce. Stir until combined and bubbly hot. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking. Note: The reason I prefer to use low-salt tomato products is so that I can control the salt-intake. Add the vegetables to the sauce and stir to combine; reduce heat to low. Polenta: Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the milk. Slowly whisk in the corn meal, which will begin to thicken very quickly. Reduce the heat. Add the Parmesan cheese, butter, and mascarpone and whisk until melted and combined. Taste for seasoning. To keep the Polenta warm (up to 20 minutes), cover with a lid. To serve, if the Polenta is too thick, you can smooth it out by adding a little low-salt chicken stock, milk or water.