Three Cheese Polenta Gratin Alla Genovese Food

THREE-CHEESE POLENTA GRATIN ALLA GENOVESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven on broil setting.
• Bring water, olive oil, and milk to a boil in 4-quart sauce pan. Add polenta in a thin stream, stirring constantly with a whisk. Lower heat and cook while stirring until polenta is thick as porridge, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove from heat and whisk in ricotta evenly through polenta then fold in mozzarella and fontina; cheeses will begin to melt. Season with salt and pepper.
• Butter an 8x12-inch casserole or gratin dish evenly. Pour hot polenta into casserole and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese evenly across top of polenta. Place in oven on broiler setting on middle rack and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until top of polenta is golden brown. Remove from oven, set aside for 5 to 7 minutes and then serve. Letting polenta rest will allow cheese to melt evenly inside casserole, which also needs to cool down because of it being so hot.

PASTA ALLA GENOVESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the onions in the boiling water, and cook, covered, 15 minutes. Drain the onions, and let cool a bit, then slice very thinly.
• Heat half the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat; stir in the carrots, celery and bacon, and cook for 4 minutes. Add the beef, then cover with the onions. Pour the remaining oil over the onions, then sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover, bring to a simmer and cook gently until the beef is tender, about 2 hours; the onions will release a good deal of liquid.
• Uncover the pot and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring more frequently as the liquid reduces and lowering the heat as necessary to prevent scorching, until the meat has fallen apart and the sauce is creamy, about 45 minutes. Stir in the wine and taste, adding more wine if desired. Reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is glossy and quite thick, about 15 minutes more.
• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain and toss with the sauce. Stir in Parmesan to taste, then serve.

POLENTA WITH ZUCCHINI AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Begin making the polenta. While it's in the oven, cook the squash. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until just about tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for a minute or two, until fragrant. Stir in the squash and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and toss together for five to eight minutes, until it is coated with oil and beginning to soften. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the sugar and salt to taste. Turn the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, for five to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly. Turn the heat back down to medium and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and aromatic. If they begin to dry and stick to the pan before the end of the cooking time (if you're using fresh tomatoes, this may happen because there isn't as much juice as with canned tomatoes), add up to 1/4 cup water. Stir in the parsley and mint, and simmer for a few more minutes. Remove from the heat, taste, adjust the salt and add pepper.
• When the polenta is ready, remove from the oven. If adding Parmesan, stir it in. Spoon onto plates, and make a depression in the center. Top with the zucchini. Garnish with additional Parmesan, and serve.