Polenta II
From The European cookbook for American homes (from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France), 1936
Presented as published in 1936. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation below, not the original instructions.
A modern interpretation · AI-generated from the original record
Ingredients
Method
As published
This recipe was extracted from The European cookbook for American homes (from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France) (1936) by Brown, Cora Lovisa Brackett Mrs., page 15. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.
Make cornmeal mush as above; pour a thin layer into a buttered baking dish, spread with thick tomato sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Then another layer of mush, tomato sauce, and cheese; repeat, finishing with a layer of cheese. Brown in a hot oven (4000 F.). Serve with tomato sauce. BAKED POLENTA Make cornmeal mush as above; let cool and stiffen in a shallow mold; slice with a wet knife. Have ready a rich brown gravy containing bits of chicken giblets or other tidbits. Place a layer of polenta slices in buttered baking dish; add a little gravy; sprinkle with grated cheese. Repeat. Cover the top with remaining gravy and bake 10 minutes in a hot oven (4oo°F.). FRIED POLENTA 1 small onion, chopped 1 celery stalk, sliced Yl garlic clove, minced 1 green pepper, chopped 3 tablespoons butter 1 quart boiling water l/z pound pork sausage or ham- 1 cup cornmeal burger % cup flour Salt and pepper Fry onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of the butter for a few minutes, add meat and mash it as it fries to keep it from cooking in lumps. Turn into a saucepan with celery, pepper and boiling water. Let boil, covered, 10 minutes. Season. Add the cornmeal a little at a time, stirring out all lumps. Finish 34 THE EUROPEAN COOKBOOK cooking over steam, or in double boiler. Cool in a mold. Slice. Dredge slices with flour and fry in remaining butter. Polenta was originally made of chestnut flour, as its name signifies. Then American maize took kindly to the soil and climate of Northern Italy and became an important crop. In the Fall, ears of corn, with husks turned back, gild the outer walls of farm houses and barns and add to the gaiety of the rural landscape. The grain is afterward ground in local mills as needed, for cornmeal must be fresh to lend its full flavor to the daily polenta dish eaten by every family throughout the winter. The score of polenta recipes range from the simple ones given here, to the rich Milanese polenta timbale, which is a thin, hollow mold of cold polenta, filled with a thick sweetbread ragout made with white wine and a dozen other ingredients, baked in the oven, and afterward elaborately garnished. FISH (Pesce) FILLET OF FISH ALLA MASSENA i pound fillet of flounder or i carrot, chopped fluke i onion, chopped Salt and pepper I sprig parsley Head and bones of the fish i tablespoon butter Cold water % cup flour and water paste Salt and pepper the fillets and place in a large soup plate. Cover head and bones with cold water, add carrot, onion, and parsley. Bring to a boil and cook % hour; strain; reduce broth to i cupful. Pour broth over fillets. Lay another soup plate on top and seal the two together with paste made of flour and water, so no steam can escape. Bake in a medium oven (350° F.) for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Open at the table, and the flavor will be amazing. FILLET OF WHITING ALLA VENITIA Grill the fillets dipped in oil. Season with salt and pepper, dust with grated Parmesan cheese
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