Baked Polenta (Abruzzo)

Appetizers

Ingredients

Coarsely ground cornmeal - 3 cups

Water - 9-10 cups

Coarse salt

Olive oil - 2 1/2 tbsps

Italian pork sausage meat - 1/2 pound

Freshly cooked tomato sauce - 2 1/2 cups

Chili powder - pinch

Butter - 4 tbsps

Grated pecorino cheese - 2/3 cup

Grated parmesan cheese - 3/4 cup

Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy pan, add coarse salt to taste (about 2 tbsps) and sprinkle in the cornmeal, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon to avoid lumps. Continue cooking over a moderate heat, stirring frequently, for about 50 minutes, or until the polenta comes away cleanly from the sides of the pan. Turn it on to a marble slab or a large wooden pastry board. It will shape itself into a dome. Leave until quite cold.

While the polenta is cooling prepare the sauce. Heat the oil in a pan, add the sausage meat and fry it until it begins to brown, crumbling it with a fork. Pour in the tomato sauce and season to taste with a pinch of salt. Simmer for 10 minutes. 

Cut the cold polenta into slices about 1/8 inch thick, using either strong thread or fine wire. Butter a deep baking dish and fill it with alternate layers of polenta, sauce and the grated cheeses, dotting each layer of cheese with a few slivers of butter. The top layer should be one of polenta sprinkled with cheese and butter. Bake for about 1 hour in a moderate oven (375F) by which time the polenta will have formed a golden crust. Serve hot.

Serves 6