In exploring the cultural histories of diverse foodways, it’s fascinating to discover how common ingredients traveled across the planet from their place of origin to distant locations, opening new vistas for cooks worldwide. This Torta Polenta is a product of such migration and is one of my beloved fall dishes. Its elegant preparation brings together my love of corn and culinary history.
Maize (corn) was unknown outside the Americas until Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the West Indies island of Hispaniola (La Isla Española) in 1492. Subsequent exploration and colonization of the New World resulted in the Columbian Exchange – a sweeping 15th – 16th century transfer between the New World, West Africa, and the Old World of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, ideas on mercantilism, and, unfortunately, diseases and slavery.
Culinarily, this biological exchange of food crops significantly transformed how the world ate. Spanish explorers and colonists introduced chickens, cows, pigs, sheep, wheat, barley, rice, sugar cane, cabbages, turnips, lettuce, olives, peaches, pears, lemons, oranges, coffee and bananas into New World diets. These Spanish explorers returned to Europe with tomatoes, potatoes, maize (corn), squashes, casava (manioc), beans (kidney, navy, lima), peanuts, soybeans, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, chili peppers, turkeys, avocado, cacao, oranges, pineapples, papaya and vanilla bean. Subsequent Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch exploration of Africa and Asia during the 15th – 17th centuries’ Age of Discovery (also known as the Age of Exploration) disseminated these New World foods to the other continents where they became pivotal components of the cuisines of many nations. Such was the history of corn.
Historical records show that corn was domesticated in southern Mexico approximately 9,000 years ago from a wild grass called teosinte which consisted of cobs with small randomly placed kernels, unlike those on the husked ear of modern corn. Eventually, tight ears of corn were developed through trial and error selection. Over centuries, planting corn for human consumption and animal feed spread throughout native settlements of the Americas. By the arrival of Spaniards in the late 15th century, corn was the principal food source throughout the region and later throughout the world. Currently, corn is grown predominately in the US, China, Brazil, EU, Argentina, Ukraine, India, Mexico, South Africa, Canada, Indonesia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Philippines and Pakistan and provides more than six percent of human food calories.
Cooks worldwide quickly discovered corn’s versatility and adaptability to various cooking methods. Aside from eating it fresh in season, corn became a year-round staple by canning, freezing, drying and grinding into cornmeal of various coarseness, flour, starch and making into syrup. Cornmeal is eaten, for example, as porridge in Romanian mămăligă, Ukrainian banos, Italian polenta, African ugali and Botswanan pap, as bread and flatbread in American cornbread, Mexican tortillas, Latin American tamales, Venezuelan arepa, Portuguese broa de milho and as a chocolate-cornmeal drink in Nicaraguan and Costa Rican pinolillo.
Although it sounds fancy, polenta is simply medium to coarse consistency cornmeal cooked in a liquid to a porridge state. But what a versatile porridge – soft or dense, sweet or savory, but definitely satisfying!
Torta Polenta is an impressive company dish. My version consists of cornmeal layers enhanced with savory mixtures of sausage and vegetables, but it also can be vegetarian when filled with spinach, cabbage, tomato, mushrooms, squashes, ricotta and other cheeses. Lidia Bastianich, a renown Italian American restauranteur and cookbook author, has a recipe for a savoy cabbage and gorgonzola torta. Giada De Laurentiis, host of a Food Network show, posts a bechamel pesto and tomato sauce torta recipe on the channel’s website. Torta Polenta can also be sweet, for example, when filled with various fruit such as apples, figs or orange marmalade or frangipane and toasted almonds or lemons and honey.
Whether savory or sweet, preparing Torta Polenta has several steps that can be prepared over several days with assembly and baking on serving day.
Here is what I did: I made the polenta layers three days ahead. I made three polenta layers because I had only three same size springform pans. But four thinner polenta layers can be formed with an additional pan. Although polenta can be prepared in various thicknesses, this torta requires a thicker consistency that, when cooled, can be formed into a torte layer. I kept the layers tightly wrapped, cold and firm in the refrigerator. On day two, I made the sausage and pepper fillings and the tomato sauce. On day three, I assembled, baked and served the torta.
This finished Torta Polenta is enticing and dramatic, perfect for an early fall lunch with a salad or as a main course for dinner. A thin slice could also substitute for a pasta starter to a traditional Italian dinner. This Torta combines the comforting softness of creamy polenta with the savoriness of the two fillings and cheeses. I served this Torta Polenta warm with a few spoons of a thick, piquant tomato sauce and several drops of salty and garlicky pesto to rave reviews. This combination of flavors is sensational. It is definitely worth trying.
Ingredients
Torta Polenta, inspired by Giuliano Buggialli* and Ada Boni **
For polenta:
9-12 cups (2.25 -2.37 l) water or chicken stock
¾ tablespoon salt
3 cups (678 g) polenta
For sausage filling:
2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
1 pound (453.59 g) Italian sausage, mild or hot, links or bulk
4 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded with juice reserved
1 teaspoon fennel
½ cup (118.3 ml) beef or chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces (112g) fontina, shredded
2 ounces (58.8 g) parmesan, shredded
For pepper and mushroom filling:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, large, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, large, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch red-pepper flakes
2 cups (150 g) cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons (6 g) fresh oregano, chopped
4 ounces (112 g) fontina, shredded
2 ounces (58.8 g) parmesan, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
For topping:
4 ounces (112 g) fontina, shredded
2 ounces (58.8 g) parmesan, shredded
2 tablespoons (28.4 g) unsalted butter
For garnish:
Tomato sauce, good quality purchased marinara or homemade, recipe attached
Pesto, purchased
Butter three 8-inch (20.3 cm) springform pans. Line bottom with parchment paper and butter again.
Preparing polenta: Heat 12 cups of water or chicken stock and salt in a deep stockpot to full boil. Remove 3 cups of water/stock to a small saucepan and keep hot ready to add to polenta as needed.
Over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to avoid lumps, slowly add polenta in a slow stream to the boiling water until fully incorporated. Continue cooking at a simmer until polenta is thick but still pourable, stirring frequently for about 50 minutes, adding small amounts of water/stock to prevent polenta from thickening too much and scorching. (Polenta may absorb as much as two additional cups of liquid as it cooks to a smooth, pourable consistency.) Taste polenta and add more salt and pepper to taste if needed.
While still hot, pour equal amounts of polenta into the prepared pans. Level surface and cool to room temperature until firm. Unmold, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Preparing sausage filling: Soak dried porcini in boiling water for 30 minutes.
Soaking porcini
Heat oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion gently for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Remove and discard casing from sausages links. Add sausage meat to onions, crumble with a fork and fry for 10-15 minutes. Add tomatoes and fennel and simmer for 15 minutes more. Strain reserved tomato juice and add with broth to the onions. Adjust salt and pepper and cook slowly until liquids have evaporated and the mixture is thick, about 30 minutes.
Sausage filling
Drain soaked mushrooms, reserving soaking liquid. Chop finely and add with 3-4 tablespoons of soaking liquid to the meat in the frying pan. Cook until the remaining liquid evaporates. Remove from the stove and cool for 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preparing pepper filling: Heat olive oil on medium-high and add the onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the onion has almost caramelized, about 20 minutes.
Add peppers and mushrooms, increasing heat if necessary, and cook until peppers and mushrooms have softened and liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
Pepper filling
Assembling and baking torta: Remove fillings and tomato sauce from refrigerator 1 hour before assembling torta, if stored overnight. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Butter and coat with breadcrumbs a 4 inch-deep springform pan or an adjustable pastry ring. (My springform pans are only 2½ inches (6.35 cm) tall. So to accommodate the polenta layers and fillings, I improvised by adding a 2 inch (5.08 cm) foil collar to a 3½ inch (8.89 cm) high pastry ring.)
Place pan or ring on a cookie sheet lined with Slipat or parchment paper. Put one polenta layer on the bottom of the pan/ring. Cover with sausage filling. Sprinkle with fontina and parmesan.
Then place another polenta layer, followed by pepper filling and parmesan and parmesan.
Top with final polenta layer, cheeses and butter and bake for 60 minutes until top is starting to color and the torta is heated through. Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes. Gently remove sides of the springform pan or ring and cool for another 30 minutes. Then cut into slices and serve with garnishes of warm tomato sauce and pesto.
Serves 12-16 as starter; 10-12 as main course for lunch or dinner.
Tomato Sauce, adapted from Giuliano Bugialli’s Sugo Scappato (Winter Tomato Sauce)*
For tomato sauce:
2 carrots
1 large red onion
2 celery ribs
1 garlic clove5-6 sprigs Italian parsley
2-3 leaves fresh basil or 1 tablespoon pesto
5 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup red wine
1 cup meat or chicken stock
1 can (520 g) San Marzano tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparing tomato sauce: Cut carrots, onion, and celery into large pieces and place in food processor bowl. Add garlic, parsley and basil. Pulse until finely chopped.
Pour oil into a large saucepan. Add chopped vegetables and sauté on low until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Add wine and cook until evaporated. Add hot stock and cook for another 15 minutes. Add tomatoes. Crush with a spoon or blend with an immersion blender and cook for 20 minutes until sauce is thick and homogenous. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
*Giuliano Bugialli, The Fine Art of Italian Cooking, Times Books, 1979.
**Ada Boni, Italian Regional Cooking, Bonanza Books, 1969.
One year ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/moussaka/
Two years ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/grape-focaccia-savory-sweet-versatility/
Three years: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/rice-noodle-soup-salmon-snow-peas-shiitake-mushrooms-relative-pho/
Four years: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/spinach-nalysnyky-crepes-veal-stroganoff/
Five years: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/corn-peppers-goat-cheese-clafoutis/
Six years: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/roasted-corn-and-jalapeno-cornbread-with-mixed-pepper-jam/