Polenta Al Forno With Spinach Ricotta And Fontina Food

POLENTA AL FORNO WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA AND FONTINA

Steps:

• Blanch spinach briefly in a large pot of boiling water, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and cool. Squeeze all excess moisture from spinach and roughly chop.
• In a large bowl, combine chopped spinach and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper, then add cayenne, lemon zest, half the Parmesan and all but 2 tablespoons of the fontina and stir well.
• Butter a 9- by 12-inch casserole dish. Ladle in half of the warm, soft polenta and spread with a spatula to make a thin layer. Spoon spinach mixture evenly over it. Top with remaining soft polenta and spread to smooth the surface. (May be made ahead up to this point, then covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking.)
• Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and fontina. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

THE ULTIMATE MEATBALLS AL FORNO WITH CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Break the baguette in pieces and soak in a bowl with milk for 10 minutes until the bread is soft. In a second bowl mix the beef and pork together. Twist up half the parsley and the basil into a little pile, roughly chop it and add to the meat. Add garlic and mix thoroughly with your hands. Squeeze the milk out of the bread and add it in small pieces. Add eggs, Parmesan, ground pinenuts, salt, and pepper and mix everything together thoroughly. Shape the meatballs into large patties then roll them in the bread crumbs.
• In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat until it begins to smoke slightly. Fry the meatballs to seal the crust, flip them over so both sides are done. Transfer to a large baking dish.
• Add a splash of oil to pan and fry the mushrooms on a low heat until they start to caramelize. Cut the tomatoes in 1/2 and hand-crush them into a separate bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and a few cranks of fresh cracked pepper and mix. Add to the mushrooms. Let everything simmer together and reduce slightly for about 10 minutes. Pour the tomatoes and mushrooms over the meatballs. Shred the remaining basil and parsley and the mozzarella over it. Drizzle with olive oil and add a few cranks of pepper. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes.
• Serve with Creamy Polenta.
• In a large saucepan bring the chicken stock to a slow simmer. Quickly whisk the cornmeal into the stock and lower the temperature to keep it from splattering. Stir in the cream, Parmesan, butter, and salt. Turn off the heat and keep in a warm place until the meatballs are ready.
• Yield: 6 servings
• Cooking Time: 15 minutes

POLENTA WITH FONTINA AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Bring 3 3/4 cups water, 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to a boil; whisk in 3/4 cup instant polenta. Reduce the heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until creamy, 10 minutes. Stir in 1 cup grated fontina. Saute 12 ounces sliced mixed mushrooms and 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary in butter until tender, 6 minutes; stir in 1¿4 cup heavy cream and season with salt and pepper. Cook until thickened; toss with chopped parsley. Serve over the polenta.

BAKED STUFFED POLENTA (POLENTA AL FORNO)

Steps:

• In a lrg saucepan, bring chicken stock to a boil & gradually whisk in the polenta. Reduce heat to simmer & cook 15 min or till very thick (while continuing to stir).
• Remove pan from heat & stir in butter, 1st measure of Parmesan cheese + parsley.
• Allow to cool slightly. Then press polenta mixture into an oiled 8 x 12-in lamington pan (See notes). Cool to rm temp & refrigerate several hrs (or overnite) till firm.
• Turn polenta out of pan, slice horizontally in half, return bottom half to pan & set top half aside.
• Evenly distribute sliced salami over the half in the pan, overlapping as necessary. Then evenly distribute the chopped tomatoes & black olives over the salami slices.
• Combine Mozzarella cheese, 2nd measure of Parmesan cheese & fresh basil. Spread half of this mixture over the layered salami, tomatoes & black olives.
• Gentle place top half of polenta over the layered ingredients & sprinkle it w/the 2nd half of the cheese & basil mixture.
• Bake in a hot oven (400°F) about 30 min or till heated thru. The top should be lightly browned & crisp, so place under broiler as needed. Allow to cool slightly & serve immediately.
• NOTES RE PAN SIZE: I do not have a lamington pan or a pan 8 x 12-in size. If made in one, the dish would be cut into 6 4x4-in square servings. I do have a 10-in rd glass baking dish that would be equal in size to the pan suggested. In this event, the dish would be cut in 6 wedge-shaped servings.
• 2nd STUFFING OPTION: As an 2nd option if you prefer, use thinly sliced prosciutto as a sub for the salami & keep all else the same.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA, AND FONTINA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rigatoni until almost done, about 12 minutes.
• Drain.
• Put the pasta in the prepared baking dish and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
• Meanwhile, squeeze as much of the water as possible from the spinach.
• Put the spinach in a food processor and puree with the ricotta, 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
• Stir in half the fontina.
• Stir the spinach mixture into the pasta.
• Top with the remaining fontina and Parmesan.
• Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over the top.
• Bake the pasta until the top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• VARIATION:.
• You can substitute another chunky pasta, such as penne rigate, penne, ziti, or fusilli. Boil all of these one or two minutes less.

POLENTA WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Cut the frozen blocks of spinach into small pieces and place in a heavy skillet without water. Cover the pan and heat the spinach just until it is thoroughly thawed. Drain and chop very fine. Blend the chopped spinach with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. Oil an oval or square baking dish and put the spinach in the bottom. Top with polenta, dot with butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 375°F. oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the polenta is delicately brown. Serve as an accompaniment to beef, veal or pork dishes.

POLENTA WITH FONTINA AND THYME

Steps:

• Bring broth, thyme and garlic to boil in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to medium; cook until polenta is thick and creamy, whisking frequently, about 20 minutes. Add cheeses. Stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.
• *Available at Italian markets and some supermarkets. If unavailable, substitute 1 cup regular yellow cornmeal, and cook mixture about 12 minutes.