Recipe Archives->Beans Cereals->Polenta Bolognese

Baked Polenta with Bolognese Meat Sauce

1/4 cup butter, unsalted
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 med onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1/4 lb pancetta, finely chopped (Italian bacon)
15 lb veal, ground
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup dry white wine or dry Merlot
1 cup Italian tomatoes, (28 oz.) crushed
1/2 cup milk

6 Tbsp butter
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Melt butter with oil in a large saucepan. When butter foams, add
onion, carrot, celery and pancetta. Saute over medium heat until
lightly browned. Add veal. Cook and stir until meat is no longer
pink. Season with salt and pepper. Increase heat and stir in wine.
Cook until wine has evaporated. Press tomatoes through a food mill
or sieve to remove seeds. Stir tomato pulp into veal mixture. Cover
and reduce heat. Simmer 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until sauce reaches a
medium thick consistency. Stir occasionally during cooking. Add
milk and cook 5 minutes longer. Makes 2-1/2 to 3 cups of sauce.

Prepare Basic Polenta and let cool completely. Prepare Bolognese
Meat Sauce. Preheat oven to 400F. Butter a 13" x 9" baking dish.
Cut cooled polenta into slices 2 inches wide and about 6 inches
long. Put 1/3 of the sliced polenta in buttered baking dish. Spoon
about 1 cup meat sauce over polenta. Dot with about 2 Tablespoons
butter and sprinkle with 4 to 5 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Repeat
with two more layers of polenta, meat sauce, butter and Parmesan
cheese, making 3 layers. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is
melted. Serve immediately. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Printable version: polenta-bolognese.txt.