_Pasticcio di Polenta_
Yellow cornmeal
Dried mushrooms[3]
Parmesan cheese[3]
Butter
Cream
Salt
The day before this dish is to be served, cook cornmeal very
thoroughly with only enough water to make it very stiff. Turn out to
cool in just the shape of the dish in which it has cooked.
Next day take this same dish, butter it and sprinkle with bread
crumbs. Cut the mould of cornmeal in horizontal slices about 1/4 inch
thick. Lay the top slice in the bottom of the dish where it fits. Dot
with two or three small pieces of butter and three or four dried
mushrooms which have had boiling water poured over them and soaked
some time. Moisten with cream and sprinkle with grated Parmesan
cheese. Repeat slice by slice until the shape is complete. On the last
slice put only two dots of butter.
Put in a moderate oven and bake three hours. If at the end of this
time there should be too much liquid on top pour this off to use for
the seasoning of some other dish, such as spaghetti, rice or noodles,
and continue cooking until the liquid ceases to ooze.
[3] See Suggestions, page 5.