Mangia Benne!

"Reality is an illusion that occurs due to a lack of wine." ~ Anonymous

Last Saturday night I had my friend Jason and his family over to celebrate his 31st birthday, along with several friends from church, work, and Saturday wine tastings. I took the occasion to try out a new recipe and I must say, it turned out quite well! Now, I don't recommend trying new recipes for the first time on a group larger than, well, about two to three people, but if you are keeping it simple, then you should be fine. Here is what was on the menu:

~Polenta Lasagna~

For the Polenta, I used a 3-1 ratio of water to corn meal-

3 cups yellow corn meal
9 cups water
1 tbsp kosher salt

Bring the 9 cups of water to a boil, then add the salt. Gradually whisk in corn meal about a cup at a time and give it a few good stirs to combine. Set the burner to low and cook for about 15 mins, stirring every 2-3 minutes to keep from sticking to the bottom of your pot. Turn polenta out into a 9" x 13" x 3" pan and let cool. You may refrigerate the polenta to help it set better. Once it's set, turn it out onto a cutting board and cut it into 1/3 - 1/2 thick slices and set aside.

~Meat Sauce~

2 28 oz cans of whole tomatoes
1 large red onion, diced
3 medium sized carrots, grated
3 celery stalks, chopped
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb hot or mild Italian sausage
1 cup red wine
salt, pepper, other seasoning to your taste

While the polenta is setting, brown the sausage in a large wide pot. Add all the other ingredients, except the tomatoes, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Crush the tomatoes by hand or pulse a few times in a food processor, then add them to the meat mixture. Cook on low to medium heat until the liquid has reduced and the sauce has thickened, 20-30 minutes.

Grade 12 oz of mozzarella and 6 oz of parmigiano-reggiano, set aside.

Open a 1 quart sized container of ricotta.

In a 9" x 13" x 3" pan, line the bottom with half the slices of the cooled polenta. Add a few laddles of the sauce to cover the polenta, but not too thickly. Add half the ricotta, one dollop at a time, to the sauce, evenly spaced out. Add half the graded mozzarella and parm, evenly distributed over the dish. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve.

We also had our fill of my bacon and leek soup. This is how I make it.

~Bacon and Leek Soup~

2 bottles dry white wine
1 1/2 - 2 quarts water or chicken broth
1 lb bacon, diced
3 leeks, thoroughly washed, chopped
1 large red onion, diced
10 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 large fennel bulb and some if the stalks, chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly diced
1 pint heavy cream
salt, pepper, and your favorite seasonings to your taste

In a wide pan, reduce the wine, seasoned to your liking, to about half. In a large wide stock pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Add the carrots and onions and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the celery, potatoes, garlic, and fennel and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Pour in the reduced wine along with the water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to between low and medium and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the cream during the final few minutes of cooking.

We enjoyed all these with red wines ranging from Malbecs and Cabs, to Grey Wolf Zinfandel, to cocktails made with St. Germain. It was truly a fun night!

Cheers!
Tony