Polenta Lasagna
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| 4 cup | water |
| 1 cup | polenta |
| 2 Tbsp | minced fresh thyme |
| 2 Tbsp | minced fresh basil |
| 2 Tbsp | minced italian parsley |
| 1 Tbsp | olive oil |
| 3/4 lb. | mozzarella, sliced into 16 slices |
| 1/2 cup | kalamata olives, pitted and halved |
| 1/2 cup | roasted garlic cloves (see note below) |
| 1 cup | cucina viansa basil pesto (or pesto recipe that follows) |
| 4 medium | roma tomatoes, sliced (about 1/2 pound) |
| 3 cup | tavola di viansa puttanesca pasta sauce or red pasta sauce |
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| bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. slowly drizzle in polenta and |
| herbs, stirring continuously. when water returns to a boil, lower heat and |
| cook polenta, stirring frequently, about 15 to 20 minutes, until polenta |
| loses it grittiness. preheat oven to 375:f. using 1 tablespoon olive oil, |
| grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. spread 1/3 of the hot polenta on the |
| bottom of the baking dish. layer half of the mozzarella slices on the |
| polenta and evenly distribute the kalamata olives and roasted garlic over |
| the mozzarella. spread half of the remaining polenta over the top and |
| spread the basil pesto over it. spread the remaining polenta over the |
| pesto and top with remaining mozzarella and the sliced tomatoes. bake for |
| 30 minutes to heat throughout. remove from the oven and cut into 3-inch |
| squares. for an elegant presentation, serve each square on a plate covered |
| with 1/4 cup heated pasta sauce (or, if you prefer, serve the pasta sauce |
| drizzled over the top of the lasagna). |
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| pesto: |
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| 1/2 cup | viansa extra virgin olive oil |
| 2 Tbsp | chopped walnuts |
| 1 Tbsp | pine nuts |
| 1-1/2 cup | fresh basil leaves, loosely packed |
| 2 Tbsp | minced fresh oregano leaves |
| 2 Tbsp | minced italian parsley |
| 3 clove | garlic |
| 1/2 cup | freshly grated parmesan cheese |
| 1/8 tsp | freshly ground pepper |
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| combine all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor or blender and |
| purie until smooth. set aside. note for roasting garlic: we use so much |
| roasted garlic in viansa and cucina viansa dishes that i developed a |
| speedy method of blanching and sautiing the garlic to obtain the same |
| sweet, delicious results as baking the whole heads. cooked garlic cloves |
| keep well in the refrigerator, so make a large batch to have roasted |
| garlic available when needed. immerse peeled garlic cloves (approximately |
| 37 cloves for 1/2 cup) in boiling water for 3 minutes. drain and pat with |
| paper towels until dry. in a small, heavy saucepan or sauti pan, cook the |
| garlic cloves in 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil over medium-high heat for about |
| 7 minutes, turning continuously until golden brown. |
| remove garlic cloves from oil and drain on paper towels. cool garlic |
| oil and reserve for other uses such a sautiing vegetables or chicken. |
| serves 12. |
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| (ID: 7478) Mirror: rec.food.recipes: Thu, Jun 3, 2004 |