Polenta is extremely versatile, and though plain polenta was the staple of the poor for centuries, baked polenta can climb to extraordinary heights, and soes so here, in this classic dish from Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Prep Time: 1 hours,
Cook Time: 3 hours,
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds extremely fine corn meal, sifted
- 2 quarts milk
- A roux made with 2/3 cup butter and 1 1/2 cups flour
- Butter
- A bit of minced cured lard or pancetta fat
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- A marinade made with the ingredients listed below
- The meats listed below
Preparation:
The Marinade: Combine red wine, vinegar, water, minced onion, bay leaves, a couple of cloves, peppercorns, juniper berries, a few cumin seeds, some rosemary leaves, several sprigs of parsley, coarsely chopped, a finely chopped rib of celery, some basil (if it's in season), a goodly pinch of oregano, some sage, and a half cup of tomato sauce diluted in a little water. You will want a total volume sufficient to cover the meats.The Meats: 1/2 pound speck (smoked prosciutto; you could use a cured ham such as Smithfield in its place if need be), 1/2 pound lean pork; 1 pound beef (something along the lines of eye of round), a small chicken; a dove or pigeon, 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausages; 1/2 pound cooked cotechino.
The Procedure: Begin 48 hours ahead, by dicing the beef, and marinating it, stirring the pieces every now and then. Drain the meat well, and sauté it in equal parts butter, oil and minced lard (what you want here is spiced, cured lard, not plain grease), with a pinch each of salt and pepper.
On the day you plan to serve your polenta, begin by stewing the chicken and the pigeon in some tomato sauce, with a minced onion, a bit of butter, and a pinch of salt. Once the meat is done (the meat will begin to pull back from the drumsticks of the chicken and a the juices that emerge when you insert a skewer into the wing joint will run clear) remove the birds, setting the sauce aside, skin them, debone them, mince the meat, and set it aside.
While the chicken is stewing, make a soft polenta: Fill your polenta pot with a quart of water and a quart of milk, and add 2 tablespoons salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir in the cornmeal; cook, stirring constantly, for an hour, adding the other quart of milk a bit as a time, as liquid evaporates (have some boiling hot water on hand should you need more liquid).
While it is cooling, make the roux by melting the butter, and before it browns stir in the flour; continue cooking over a low flame until the mixture is a nutty brown.
Next, cook the sausages in a pan with a few drops of oil, and when they are done peel them and slice them finely. Do the same with the cotechino, dice the speck, and mix the three meats together.
Sauté the pork in a little butter, seasoning it with a pinch of salt, and when it is done dice it too, reserving the drippings.
Stir the drippings from the various pots into the brown roux.
You are now ready to assemble: butter a large ovenproof pot and line it with a layer of polenta. Sprinkle the polenta with the roux/ drippings mixture and some of the meats, then lay down a layer of polenta and repeat the process, as many times as necessary, closing with a final layer of polenta. Heat the dish through in a 350-degree (180 C) for a half-hour, and let it sit for a few minutes before you bring it to the table.
I'm not sure what I would serve as a side dish with this, though I might opt for spinach minced and heated through with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. The wine? A hearty Valpolicella Classico Superiore that has undergone the ripasso technique, or perhaps a rich Barbera.
