Mulberry Creek Herb Farm

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TUSCAN POLENTA LASAGNA

16 pieces

Prepare roasted garlic, pesto and ragu sauce in advance

ROASTED GARLIC

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut HEAVY-DUTY foil (or 2 sheets of regular foil) into 12” squares, enough for 1 per garlic bulb. Horizontally cut each garlic bulb off at the top, exposing just the tips of the cloves. Drizzle olive oil over each bulb. Sprinkle each with a pinch of salt & fresh ground pepper. Add a sprig of thyme and/or oregano and wrap each clove with the foil. Place in a small, 1-2” rimmed pan and bake about 40 minutes. Check for softness. The clove, when squeezed, spews out a rich, creamy, sweet garlic flavor.

PESTO
1-1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, loosely packed 2 T. pine nuts
1/2 c. fresh italian parsley, minced about 1/2 c. good olive oil
2 T. fresh oregano, minced salt
2 cloves of garlic fresh ground pepper
2 T. walnuts, chopped 1/2 c. parmesan & asiago cheeses, freshly grated
 

• Combine all ingredients, but cheeses in a food processor and puree until smooth, but you can still see the leaves. Scrape out and into a bowl. Stir in the cheeses. (You can freeze the extra pesto in ice cube tray for more winter use.

RAGU
This is how to prepare “Odori,” the aromatic Italian trinity with herbs:
finely chop 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic & a handful of parsley. Saute in 2 T. olive oil ‘til golden

1# ground beef 1-2 c. white or Chianti wine
!# ground pork 2 T. tomato paste
4 Italian Sausages up to 64 ou. diced Italian style tomatoes
salt, pepper and dried thyme to taste
 

• Prepare the “odori” in a heavy pot with a lid. Add the ground beef, pork, and sausages until browned. Add salt, pepper, thyme and a cup of wine. After the wine has evaporated, add the tomato paste and diced tomatos. Cover and simmer on VERY low heat for 3 hours, stirring now and then.

NOW THAT ALL THAT IS PREPARED, YOU ARE READY TO ASSEMBLE THE POLENTA LASAGNA

BEGIN POLENTA LASAGNA RECIPE:
3-4 T. olive oil
approximately 1# polenta (a.k.a. “corn mush” next to “Pillsbury Dinner Rolls in the refrigerated cases)
2 T. fresh thyme, minced 1/2 c. roasted garlic cloves or more
2 T. fresh basil, minced 1 c. pesto
2 T. fresh parsley, minced 4 medium Roma tomatoes, sliced
1# mozzarella, sliced into 16 slices 3 c. Ragu
1/2 c. kalamata olives, pitted & halved
 

• Heat oil on medium heat in a large, heavy pan. Slice polenta to about 1/4” thick and brown both sides in pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13” pan and place a layer of lightly browned polenta on bottom. Add half the herbs and mozzarella slices. Evenly distribute the olives & roasted garlic cloves that have been “squirted” out of their “husks.” Layer the remaining polenta slices & herbs and spread with pesto. Top with what’s left of the mozzarella slices and sliced tomatoes.
• Bake for 30 minutes to heat throughout. Remove from the oven and cut into squares. For an elegant presentation, serve each square on a plate covered with a 1/2 c. of heated Ragu Sauce.