Polenta is a heritage ingredient of northern Italy and a staple in illustrated stories from central Europe. Most Brothers Grimm stories have a character, male or female, without distinction or discrimination, who is seen stirring a giant wooden spoon in oversized cauldrons that boil, bubble and cook as the tale unfolds. When thinking of polenta, what comes to mind is a semi-soft, grit-like cornmeal base that is accompanied by an array of possible seasonings: meat stews, mushrooms, melted cheese or a mix of vegetables. To be honest though, that is only true for fresh long-boil polenta, which requires hours of slow cooking and steady elbow-work throughout to prevent lumps from forming. In the modern family era, time management in the kitchen is of utmost importance, and unless we are about to celebrate an important red letter day, chances are that the only polenta we are serving to our tribe is an out-of-the-box, ready-in-10-minutes version of our beloved mush: polenta istantanea.
There are a few solid brands available and the differences between them are minimal, so feel free to experiment with this recipe using the boxed grit you can source at your local store. This ready-to-go cornmeal can be served soft, straight out of the pot, but can also be easily molded and cooled off, specifically to prepare food that can be refrigerated first and baked later, as needed. Once firm and cooled, polenta lends itself well to a variety of uses, the most common being sliced, fried and served with your toppings of choice, or sliced and layered with cheese and vegetables to be baked and portioned, like in this recipe.
Some people like to serve polenta pasticciata as a vegetarian main course, but we also serve it cut into small portions as an appetizer. Either way, polenta as lasagna is virtually unknown in America, and always sparks a conversation about how delicious it is! The broccoli rabe filling is wonderful, but consider other vegetables like grilled eggplant, sautéed mushrooms or steamed and squeezed-dry spinach.
Last but not least, I recommend this recipe to families with young cubs, as slicing grits and layering cheese together makes for the best kitchen memories.
Layered polenta with broccoli rabe
Serves 6-8 as a main course or 10-12 appetizer servings
Polenta
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
500g cups instant polenta
Broccoli rabe
1kg broccoli rabe
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sauce
50ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking dish
1 small red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Generous pinch of hot red pepper flakes
One large can (800g) peeled tomatoes in juice, pureed with their juice in a blender
Generous handful of coarsely chopped fresh basil
Sea salt + freshly ground black pepper
500g fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
100g freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Lightly oil a 22 x 12 cm loaf pan. Bring 1.5 liters of salted water to a boil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Slowly whisk in the polenta, making sure the mixture is smooth. Change over to a wooden spoon and stir constantly until the polenta comes to a boil. Cook according to the package directions, stirring often, until smooth and thickened. Spread the polenta in the loaf pan (it will be very full). Let cool until tepid, about 1 hour. Invert and unmold onto a cutting board, and let cool completely, about 1 hour more.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli rabe and return to a boil. Cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well.
Heat the oil with the garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes. A handful at a time, stir in the broccoli rabe. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli rabe is tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a colander and let it drain and cool. Coarsely chop the broccoli rabe and drain again to remove any excess liquid.
Cook the onion and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until the onion is tender but not browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the hot red pepper flakes, followed by the pureed tomatoes, and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has slightly reduced, about 20 minutes. During the last few minutes, stir in the basil. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly oil a flameproof 22×33 baking dish.
Cut the polenta crosswise into 30 slices, about 1cm thick. Arrange 10 of the polenta slices in a single layer in the dish, trimming them as needed to fit the dish and fill in gaps. Top with one-half of the broccoli rabe, followed by one-third each of the sauce, mozzarella and Parmigiano. Repeat with another layer of polenta, the rest of the broccoli rabe, sauce, mozzarella and Parmigiano. Finish with the remaining ingredients. (The dish can be covered loosely with plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Remove the plastic wrap before baking.)
Place the baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, until the mozzarella is melted and the juices are bubbling, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Position a broiler rack about 20cm from the source of heat and preheat the broiler on high. Return the dish to the oven and broil just until the mozzarella topping is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut into serving portions and serve hot.
