Whenever Kyle comes home from sea, I try to make something really comforting and homey to welcome him back from his time out to sea, especially now that we are into November and the mercury has taken a significant nose dive. As I’ve said many times before, I really enjoy fall and winter, and all of the hearty cooking that comes along with it. On the whole, Kyle is a very much a “meat & potatoes” kind of fella, although he has a very adventurous palate. This past cruise, his ship was researching off of Georges Bank, and this time of year up North can be quite biting.
I have been traveling almost every weekend for the past couple of weeks, and as a result my cooking & blogging have been somewhat lacking. However, the stars aligned for this past weekend, and with Kyle coming home for more than a night or two, I was excited to make something truly “from scratch” that would be filled with rustic flavors and soul warming substance.
I stumbled across Nigella Lawson’s recipe for Venetian Lasagne, and immediately felt inspired. I loved the idea of replacing noodle layers with polenta, and from her initial recipe, I began building my own take on it in my head over the next two days. With the much appreciated help of my friend and colleague, Matt, I began bouncing ideas off of him on how to expand on the polenta lasagne concept, which he and his wife had made a take on before. Nigella’s original recipe called for ground beef, and after playing around with different textural concepts, I settled on substituting a combination of ground sausage and diced lamb to create a more interesting consistency. From there, I decided upon adding a layer of ricotta with fresh herbs- a component I have to add to any baked Italian pasta dish. I upped my vegetable measurements as well to add to the robust nature of my concept.
I took a lot of pleasure in the entire slow-cook process of this dish- I bought my lamb as a bone-in leg section, and butchered it down myself to ensure absolute freshness and flavor. As the sauce simmered away on low heat (the smell was incredible!), I enjoyed a glass of wine, mixed up the ricotta layer and prepared my assembly line and enjoyed the warmth of my tiny kitchen on a blustery night. I cooked & assembled the lasagne a day in advance, and I would not recommend attempting this from start to finish on for a weeknight meal. It is a perfect “do ahead” recipe, as it will survive perfectly covered in a dish in the refrigerator for up to two days in advance or could be made the day of a weekend dinner party. It is hearty enough to chase away any cold fall or winter day, and elegant enough to serve at a casual dinner party with good friends and a hearty red wine. My recipe ended up being enough to make a grand 9”x13” pan for Kyle and I, and as a thank you to Matt, I sent him home after work on Friday with a 9” round pan of the same to share with his wife over the weekend- it was only fitting after being my soundboard on it over two days!
Rustic Polenta Lasagne with Lamb, Mushroom & Sausage Ragu (inspiration taken from Nigella Lawson’s Venetian Lasagne)
Written out in order of preparation:
For the Polenta:
-2 Cups instant or quick cooking polenta (I used Pastene)
- Chicken stock (enough for whatever the polenta instructions require for cooking liquid)
- ¾ Cup shredded Parmesan
- 1Tblspn. butter
-Sea salt & fresh cracked black pepper
For the Ragu:
- ½ lb. loose Italian sausage
- 1½ lbs. Fresh lamb leg, diced into bite size pieces
- 16oz. Baby Bella mushrooms, roughly diced
- ½ Vidalia onion, diced
-3-4 Medium garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Celery stalks (with green tops), diced
- 3 Carrots, peeled & diced
- 16oz. Can crushed tomatoes (San Marzano or Pastene are perfect)
- 2-3 Tblspn. tomato paste
- ½ Cup hearty red wine, such as Chianti, Merlot or Bordeaux
- 2 Bay leaves
- Olive oil
- Sea salt & fresh cracked black pepper
For the Ricotta Layer:
- 16oz. Part skim Ricotta cheese, at room temperature
- 1 Large egg
- Handful of flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
- Heavy pinch of fresh ground nutmeg
-Sea salt & fresh cracked black pepper
Additional ingredient: 1+ Cup shredded Parmesan, for layering
For Polenta: In an adequately sized stock pot, heat chicken stock (amount determined by brand of polenta used) over medium high heat until boiling. Add in dry polenta and stir continually until stock is absorbed. Remove from heat & quickly stir in Parmesan cheese, butter and season with salt & pepper. Divide polenta between two cookie or baking sheets, using a spatula to spread out evenly (once polenta begins to cool slightly, it can be smoothed further by placing a layer of parchment paper on top and passing a rolling pin over the top). Set aside and allow to cool completely.
For Ragu: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 Tblspn of olive oil over medium heat, add in sausage meat and cook until browned, stirring to break up. Once browned, remove with a slotted spoon & reserve in a large dish. Add a little more olive oil & add in onions, celery and carrot. Season to taste with salt & pepper and sweat, stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Add in garlic & mushroom, cooking an additional 5 minutes until mushrooms have softened and garlic is fragrant, but not browned. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon to same dish as sausage and reserve. Turn heat to medium-high, add a little more oil if needed, and sear off lamb pieces until well browned, approximately 7-10 minutes, seasoning with salt & pepper. After fully browning, add in sausage and vegetable mixture and stir well to incorporate. Reduce heat to medium-low, add in bay leaves, crushed tomatoes, tomato puree and wine and bring to low simmer. Stir well and cover partially with lid, dropping heat to low. Allow sauce to cook down over the 60-90 minutes, checking & stirring occasionally. If sauce becomes too thick, thin with a bit of stock or water, and if sauce does not reduce enough, add a bit more tomato paste. Once sauce has reached desired consistency, turn off heat, remove bay leaves and allow to cool slightly for assembly.
For Ricotta: Combine Ricotta, parsley, egg, nutmeg, salt & pepper in a bowl until well mixed.
To assemble Lasagne: Using your pan as a guide, cut cooled polenta to fit the bottom of pan (you should be able to get 3 full slices of polenta out of the pans for layering, and use the last ½ for a smaller [freezer?] lasagne), and place first layer into the bottom of pan. Spread a layer of ricotta on top using a spatula, and top with 1/3 of the Parmesan. Top with a layer of the ragu sauce. Repeat process for a second layer, topping with a final layer of polenta (3 layers of polenta total). Spread with remaining parmesan.
If serving immediately: cover lasagne with a layer of aluminum foil and bake off for 60 minutes in a 370 degree oven, or until bubbly and heated through. Remove foil and broil for 3-5 minutes, until cheese browns and becomes crunchy. Remove from oven & serve with simply dressed greens, lightly sautéed broccoli rabe or lemony haricot verts and a glass of your favorite red.
If making ahead of time: All assembly up to cooking can be done up to two days in advance, and lasagne can be stored in your refrigerator. Top tightly with a layer of plastic wrap, and cover with aluminum foil. Before baking, discard plastic wrap, and follow above directions, adding 20 minutes cooking time if going straight from refrigerator to oven.
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