Southern Italian Polenta Lasagna W/ Roasted Tomato Meat Sauce

We had the opportunity to connect with an old friend tonight and make a new one as our friend Austin and his fiancee' Kaity joined us for dinner. We hadn't seen Austin in several years, and were quite anxious to meet his bride-to-be. Of course, it warranted a special dinner.

Italian is always an easy choice when it comes to serving a special meal, because there is something very special about Italian cuisine. Italy is the country of Romance. Tenielle and I discovered that first hand on a 10 day tour in 2012. It left an indelible mark upon our hearts. Venice romanced us, Florence tantalized our taste buds, and Rome left us in awe and wonder as we gazed upon the remnants of an ancient world.

And Tenielle was able to check off a very special piece of her bucket list: a tour of Pompeii, and a steep hike up to the mouth of Mt. Vesuvius in the Campania region.

It's this region that tonight's recipe comes from. It speaks of old world rusticity, and reminds us in America that all lasagna's are not equal, and not all are made with noodles. Tonight we dine upon beautiful polenta, topped with a savory meat sauce, and covered in our good (but sloppy) friends Mozzarella and Parmesan.

Need I say more, or should we just get to the recipe? Andiamo!

(Special thanks to Austin Raver for taking the awesome picture of this dish tonight!) 

Southern Italian Polenta Lasagna W/ Roasted Tomato Meat Sauce
Ingredients: 

For the Polenta:
2 cups Coarse, Stone Ground Grits, divided (A.K.A. Polenta or Corn Meal)
8 cups Chicken Broth, divided
1 Tbl. Salt

For The Sauce: 
1 Lb. Sweet Italian Sausage
2 Tbl. Olive Oil
12 Cups Water
8 Roma Tomatoes
1/2 Green Pepper
1 Red Pepper
8 Cloves Garlic
1/2 Large Red Onion, Quartered
2 Tbl. Chopped Fresh Basil
1 Tbl. Chopped Fresh Oregano
2 Tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Red Wine
1 Tbl. Sugar
Salt to taste

To Top It All Off: 
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Preheat the broiler. On a cookie sheet, place the green pepper, red pepper, garlic and red onion. Drizzle olive oil over everything, and sprinkle on a little salt. Place under broiler for 20 minutes, or until charred. Remove and set aside.

Place 4 cups of chicken broth in 2 medium sauce pans over high heat and bring to a boil. While whisking, add the grits. Add the salt and continue to stir. Lower heat to a very low simmer. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the grits are separating from the pan. Stir occasionally to make sure the grits aren't sticking. Meanwhile, oil two 8" baking pans. When the grits are done, pour into these two pans and spread out with a spatula to make even. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour, or until ready to use.

Begin cooking the Italian sausage by placing 2 Tbl. oil in a saute' pan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sausage, and begin to break up and cook. Once browned and cooked, remove from heat and drain oil. Set aside.

Heat the 12 cups of water in a large pot to boiling. Once boiling, carefully add the tomatoes. Keep an eye on them, because fairly quickly you will see the skin begin peeling off. This is your sign to remove them and place in a bowl of ice water. Continue until all the tomatoes are peeling. Once they are cooled down in the ice water, you can quickly remove and discard the skin from each tomato.

In a food processor, add the charred vegetables from earlier and the tomatoes you just peeled. Process until everything is well combined, and has created a sauce. Place this sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the basil, oregano, black pepper, red wine, sugar and drained sausage. Allow to come to a simmer, and then reduce to low. Allow to simmer for 1 hour, or longer if desired. Be sure to check for and add salt before serving.

Combine the parmesan and mozzarella in a bowl.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To assemble, remove the 2 pans of polenta from the refrigerator and cut each square into 4 equal pieces. In a 9x13 baking dish, spread some of the sauce from the pan. Arrange 4 pieces in the pan, and then cover each piece with a bit of sauce. On top of each piece, add a handful of the mozzarella/parmesan mixture. Then place the next 4 squares of polenta on top of the original 4. Cover with sauce, and add the rest of the parm/mozzarella mixture.

Place in the oven, and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow to rest for 5 minutes, and then serve.

What are you waiting for? Get cooking!

Because Eating Good Is A Calling Of Its Own, 
The Fat Pastor

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