Polenta And Broccoli Rabe Lasagna Recipes

Steps:

• Place the lasagna noodles in a large bowl of cold water to soak (if you are using no-boil noodles, you can skip this step). Lightly oil a 9- by 13-inch baking pan.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chili flakes; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and the basil. Remove from heat.
• Remove the tough lower stem ends of the broccoli rabe. Cut the remaining stems, leaves and florets into 1-inch pieces. Fill a pot with 8 cups water and 2 tablespoons salt. Bring water to a boil and add the broccoli rabe. Cook 30 seconds, then use a slotted spoon to transfer broccoli rabe to a bowl.
• Slowly whisk the polenta into the water. Simmer until polenta is thick and creamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the mascarpone or ricotta, 1/2 cup parmesan and the butter, and stir until combined. Stir in the broccoli rabe.
• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange a single layer of lasagna noodles in the bottom of the pan. Tear or break any pieces as needed to fit them in one layer, with no overlapping. Top with a third of the polenta mixture, half the tomato sauce and a third of the mozzarella. Arrange a second layer of lasagna noodles over the mozzarella. Repeat layering of polenta, sauce and mozzarella. Arrange a final layer of noodles over the cheese and finish with the remaining polenta and mozzarella. Scatter 1/2 cup parmesan and the black pepper over the top.
• Transfer casserole to the oven. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes before serving. Serve with more chili flakes scattered on top, if you like.

Steps:

• Make the polenta and keep it warm. Unwind the pancetta into a long strip and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide pieces. Heat together the pancetta and the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook slowly until well-browned and crisp. Tilt the pan to collect the fat in a little pool against the side and scrape the pancetta into the fat. Cook for another minute to make sure the pancetta is very crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Set the pancetta aside.
• There should be about 2 tablespoons fat remaining in the pan. If not, add a little olive oil. Turn the heat to medium-high and heat until hot. Add the garlic and saute briefly until light brown. Add the thyme, stir, add the stock, and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by about half. Add the broccoli rabe, season with salt and pepper, toss well, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Pour the polenta into a warm serving dish or bowl and pour the vegetables over it. Sprinkle with the reserved pancetta.
• Combine the stock and cream in a heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the polenta and semolina, and cook over very low heat, whisking regularly, until the grains are soft, about 8 minutes. Whisk in the cheeses. Serve immediately or reserve. To encourage polenta to come cleanly out of the pan, put the pan over medium heat. Run a spatula or wooden spoon around the sides of the pan to clean off the polenta. Do not stir, but wait and watch for a few seconds until a large bubble begins to form and push the polenta upward. Pour immediately into a warm dish. The polenta can be made ahead and reheated: add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water or stock, cover the dish, and reheat in the microwave or over low heat. Whisk well before serving.

Steps:

• Make the béchamel: Melt butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook for a minute over medium heat without browning. Gradually whisk in half-and-half, 1/2 cup at a time, to obtain a smooth, lightly thickened sauce. Turn heat to low. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, some ground black pepper, the cayenne and nutmeg. Cook, whisking, for 4 to 5 minutes, then place saucepan in a hot-water bath to keep sauce warm. Thin if necessary with a little more half-and-half.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Lift noodles from water with a spider and rinse well in a bowl of cold water. Drain and lay noodles flat on a kitchen towel.
• Using the same cooking water, blanch the greens for 1 minute, until just wilted. Rinse greens with cool water, squeeze dry and chop them roughly. Put 1 cup of chopped greens, the minced garlic and 1/2 cup olive oil in a food processor or blender and purée to make a pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a small bowl.
• Mix the ricotta and lemon zest in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Organize to have all ingredients within easy reach for assembling lasagna. Use 2 tablespoons butter to grease an 8-by-10-inch baking dish.
• Assemble the lasagna: Put a layer of cooked noodles on the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon a quarter of the béchamel over noodles, then dot with a third of the ricotta. Complete layer with chopped greens, a drizzle of pesto and some grated cheese. Continue layering, finishing with a layer of pasta. Spread the last of the béchamel on top and sprinkle with Parmesan. (There should be 4 layers of pasta and 3 layers of filling.)
• Dot with remaining butter and bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes more, until nicely browned and bubbling. Let lasagna rest 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the broccoli crowns 1/3 inch thick, letting the florets on the edges fall off. Peel any large pieces of stem by gently pulling away the thick skin, then toss the slices and the unattached florets with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on the baking sheet in an even layer. Roast, stirring and flipping the large slices over (tongs are a good tool for this) after 8 minutes, until the broccoli is tender when pierced with a knife and the tops are nicely browned, about 15 minutes total. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
• Blend the ricotta cheese with the egg, water, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
• Chop the anchovies and stir into the tomato sauce. Oil a rectangular baking dish and spread a spoonful of tomato sauce over the bottom. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spoon a thin layer of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with a layer of broccoli, then a layer of tomato sauce and a layer of Parmesan. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, ending with a layer of lasagna noodles topped with tomato sauce and Parmesan.
• Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the mixture is bubbling. Uncover and, if you wish, bake another 10 minutes, until the top begins to brown. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Cut off and discard tough stems from rabe. Wash thoroughly and drain on paper towels. Cut into one-inch pieces.
• Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Saute the garlic for 30 seconds. Stir in rabe and coat with oil. Cook over medium heat until it begins to soften.
• Stir in raisins, pine nuts and red pepper. Cover and cook 5 to 7 minutes.
• Meanwhile bring water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Slowly stir in polenta and stir constantly for several minutes, until mixture begins to thicken. Do not let mixture become so thick that it cannot be stirred.
• Stir in the cheese and salt. Stir in rabe and spoon into a shallow baking dish. Place under broiler for about 2 minutes, just until the top begins to brown. Watch carefully.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix marinara sauce, garlic powder and herbes de Provence. Arrange half of the polenta slices in a greased 8-in. skillet. Top with half of the sauce; sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers., Cook, uncovered, over medium heat 12-14 minutes or until bubbly. Cover; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

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.