Polenta Pie Recipe

(Polenta Pasticciata)

Make a very stiff mush of cornmeal cooked in milk. Salt it well and

spread out on the bread board in a sheet about one inch thick. When

cold, cut in little diamonds or squares and place these in a buttered

baking dish. Prepare the Bolognese sauce according to the following

recipe: Chop 1/4 lb. round steak, a slice of pork or bacon, one small

carrot 1/4 onion, one large piece celery. Put the meat and vegetables

over the fire with a piece of butter. When the meat has browned add half

a tablespoon of flour and wet the mixture with hot water or broth,

allowing it to simmer from half an hour to an hour. It is done when it

is the consistency of a thick gravy.

Make a smooth white sauce with milk cornstarch and butter. Over a layer

of the polenta, cut as above and placed in the baking dish sprinkle

some grated cheese and a few tablespoons each of the white sauce and the

meat sauce. Repeat until the dish is full. Bake until the top is nicely

browned. This dish seems very elaborate, but it is very delicious and a

meal in itself.

The Bolognese sauce is also used to season macaroni or spaghetti in lieu

of the tomato sauce or the brown stock.