Cheesy Polenta Lasagne With Mushrooms And Seitan Recipes

MUSHROOM-POLENTA LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Soak the dried porcini in 3 cups hot water, 30 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the soaking liquid. Roughly chop the porcini.
• Heat 1 tablespoon each butter and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the button and shiitake mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until slightly browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring, until soft, 2 to 3 more minutes; transfer to a bowl. Repeat with another 1 tablespoon each butter and olive oil and the remaining button and shiitake mushrooms. Transfer to the bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon each butter and olive oil to the skillet. Add the onion and porcini and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until darkened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the reserved 2 cups porcini liquid, the crushed tomatoes, button and shiitake mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley; season with salt.
• Prepare the lasagna: Bring 7 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan; transfer to a large heatproof bowl. Meanwhile, bring 3 cups water to a boil in a separate large saucepan. Gradually whisk the polenta and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt into the bowl of hot water. Cover the bowl tightly with foil and set over the saucepan of boiling water. Reduce the heat so the water is simmering; cook the polenta until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover and vigorously whisk in the parmesan, eggs and nutmeg.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly brush a 3-quart baking dish with olive oil. Spread one-third of the polenta in the dish and top with half of the mushroom sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat the layers (polenta, sauce, mozzarella), then top with the remaining polenta. (If the polenta gets too thick, whisk in a little hot water.)
• Loosely cover the dish with foil and bake until bubbly, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Turn on the broiler. Uncover the lasagna and top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella; broil until melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

CHEESY POLENTA LASAGNE WITH MUSHROOMS AND SEITAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in upper third. Lightly butter a 2-to 2 1/2-quart shallow baking dish.
• Make cheese sauce:
• Melt butter in a 2-to 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth, then cook roux, whisking frequently, until pale golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat milk in a separate small saucepan until just about to boil. Add milk to roux in 2 batches, whisking constantly until very smooth. Bring to a boil, whisking, then cook, whisking, 30 seconds. Remove from heat and whisk in Fontina, half of Gruyère, nutmeg, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and set aside, whisking occasionally.
• Make mushroom-seitan filling:
• Cook garlic in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until beginning to turn pale golden. Stir in mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened, about 3 minutes. Add seitan and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms and seitan are slightly golden, about 4 minutes. Add water and cook briefly, scraping up any brown bits.
• Assemble and bake lasagne:
• Spread 1/2 cup cheese sauce in bottom of baking dish.
• Slice 1 log of polenta into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and arrange enough rounds to cover bottom of dish, overlapping slightly. Spoon half of filling evenly over polenta, then spread with half of remaining cheese sauce (about 1 cup). Slice enough rounds from second log to form a second layer. Cover with remaining filling, then cheese sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Gruyère and bake until top is just bubbling and slightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

POLENTA LASAGNA WITH SPINACH AND HERBY RICOTTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees and butter an 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet pan. Grease a rubber spatula with butter.
• Prepare the polenta: In a large pot, bring 6 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, then slowly pour in polenta, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking often, until polenta thickens, 8 to 12 minutes. Whisk in 4 tablespoons butter until melted. Whisk in spinach until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in 1 cup grated Parmesan.
• Scrape polenta onto the prepared baking sheet. Using the greased rubber spatula, spread the mixture into a thin, even layer to cover the entire pan, all the way to corners. Sprinkle 1/2 cup grated Parmesan on top. Bake until polenta is firm and cheese has melted, 12 to 18 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack until completely cooled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or place in refrigerator until cool to touch, about 40 to 50 minutes. (Polenta can be baked the day before and refrigerated until needed.)
• When ready to bake the lasagna, heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Prepare the ricotta filling: In a small bowl, mix ricotta, parsley, basil, egg, black pepper, nutmeg and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix until well combined and set aside.
• Taste the marinara sauce. If it needs some zip, stir in any or all of the optional ingredients.
• Assemble the lasagna: Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut cooled polenta in half widthwise, creating 2 pieces roughly 9 by 13 inches each. Using a large spatula, gently place one half in prepared baking dish. (It is important for polenta to be completely cooled and firm; otherwise, the pieces may break when transferring to baking dish. If anything breaks, just reassemble it in the pan. It won't make much of a difference once it's covered in sauce and baked.)
• Spread about half the ricotta mixture in an even layer on top of polenta. Pour about half of marinara sauce on top of ricotta, sprinkle with about half of the shredded mozzarella. Repeat with remaining polenta, ricotta, marinara and mozzarella. Once assembled, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on top.
• Place baking dish on top of a rimmed sheet pan in case the lasagna bubbles over. Bake until cheese melts, about 30 minutes. If you like, you can broil lasagna for 2 minutes after baking until cheese starts to bubble and develop brown spots.
• Remove from oven and let lasagna stand for about 15 minutes to firm up before serving. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• For the polenta, bring 4 1/2 cups water and the milk to a high simmer in a medium-size heavy saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add salt. Pour the cornmeal slowly into the liquid, stirring with a wire whisk to prevent clumping. Continue stirring as the mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn heat to low. Cook for approximately 40 to 45 minutes, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes. If the polenta becomes quite thick, thin it with 1/2 cup water, stir well and continue cooking. Add up to 1 cup more water as necessary, to keep the polenta soft enough to stir.
• Add the butter to pot, and stir well. Add the Parmesan, if using. Taste for seasoning. Set the covered saucepan in a pot of barely simmering water, and keep warm for up to an hour or so.
• Meanwhile, put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl, and cover with about 1/2 cup boiling water. Allow to steep for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, and pat dry, then chop roughly. Reserve the mushroom stock.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a sauté pan set over high heat until it has melted. Add the garlic and cook until it starts to sizzle, about 30 seconds. Do not let the garlic brown.
• Add the fresh and reconstituted mushrooms and thyme to the pan, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, turning until browned. Add about 1/4 cup of the mushroom stock to deglaze the surface, using a wooden spoon to scrape at the browned bits. Allow the stock to reduce by half, then turn the heat to medium-low and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, whisking to combine, followed by the soy sauce, cream and olive oil. Allow mixture to cook until it thickens a little, then remove from heat. Taste for seasoning, adding black pepper, if desired.
• Put the polenta in a warmed bowl, then top with mushrooms and the sauce. Serve immediately.