Polenta is pretty much Italian grits. It's coarsely ground cornmeal that is usually prepared by boiling the meal in water or stock until it has formed a paste. Prior to the 16th century there was no cultivation of corn (maize) in Europe, so polenta was made from the hulled and crushed grain of barley. Because the byproduct looked like pollen, the Italians called it polenta.
Today you can buy polenta in your grocery store either in a box (usually located in specialty aisles or near the pasta) or pre-cooked and packaged in tubes (in the refrigerated, organic section of your grocery store).
For this recipe I opted for the pre-packaged Melissa's Original Flavor Organic polenta. When it comes in the tube variety you can either cut it into slices and bake it in dishes, or you can put it in a sauce pan with a little stock and boil it down to its creamy, grit-style origins.
I know some people are leery of polenta because it looks weird in the tubes, or because they think it's too complex to cook and they don't know 1) how to prepare it, or 2) what to serve it with.
Before you disavow polenta for good, please try this recipe. It's a fast and easy alternative to the traditional lasagna method of boiling the pasta and layering all the ingredients, and you get twice the amount of polenta for roughly the same price!
And keep this in mind...One 16 ounce tube of polenta has a total caloric count of 315 calories. It is fat free, gluten free, cholesterol free, and low in carbs. Comparatively, an 8 ounce box of whole wheat lasagna has a total caloric count of 860 calories. It has 20 grams of fat, is cholesterol free, and contains 52% of your daily carbohydrate intake (double that of the polenta).
Now, I'm not saying polenta is better than whole wheat lasagna. The latter has more fiber and protein than the cornmeal, hands down. But try something new...you'll be happy you did, I promise!
Ingredients:
One 16 oz tube of Mellissa's Original Flavor Organic polenta, cut into slices (about 18)
8 oz part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
One 25 oz jar store bought marinara (I use Mezetta Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce)
A large handful of bagged spinach, rinsed and dried
Chopped cremini mushrooms (optional)
Fresh basil (optional)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a sauce pan over medium high heat, bring your marinara to a low boil, then reduce to a simmer. (I opted to chop up some mushrooms in my refrigerator that needed to be used, and simmered them in EVOO in the same pan before adding the marinara). If you like add a handful of chopped, fresh basil to the sauce.
While the sauce is simmering, slice the polenta into an even number of slices for stacking.
Spoon a little bit of sauce onto the bottom of a square baking dish and place a layer of the polenta on the bottom. Top each slice of polenta with a dollop of ricotta and two spinach leaves. Sprinkle the top of the first stack with 1/2 cup of the shredded mozzarella.
With the remaining polenta slices, make the second layer, again adding a dollop of ricotta to each slice.
Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the polenta, then add the remaining 1/2 cup mozeralla and 1/2 cup parmesan to the top. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Remove the aluminum foil and cook for another 25 minutes, uncovered, allowing the cheese to turn golden brown.
Remove from oven and let stand for 7-10 minutes (enough to cool).
Serve two stacks per person, alongside a crisp, mixed salad. Will feed four....or two, depending upon appetite!
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