CREAMY POLENTA AND BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Creamy Polenta and Bolognese Sauce image

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 19

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Ingredients

4 cups chicken stock or broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
5 garlic cloves, crushed
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (once around the pan)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
1 pound ground sirloin (90% lean ground beef)
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrots (on salad bar in produce aisle), chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon allspice (a couple healthy pinches)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
A handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup quick-cooking polenta (in Italian foods or specialty foods aisles)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese, plus some to garnish

Steps:

For the creamy polenta, combine 3 cups of the chicken stock, the cream, 1 of the crushed garlic cloves, salt, and pepper in a saucepot over medium-low heat. Bring up to a gentle simmer and lower the heat so it is barely bubbling, then start the Bolognese sauce.
Heat a deep skillet or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Go once around the pan with a slow stream of EVOO. Add the remaining crushed garlic and the red pepper flakes and infuse the oil for 15 seconds. Add the beef, pork, and veal and break the meat up with a wooden spoon. Brown the meats for 3 minutes, then add the onion, carrots, celery, thyme, allspice, salt, and pepper and continue browning for 5 minutes more. Use the pocket of time to make the roasted veggies, page 227.
When the vegetables are tender, add the wine and scrape up the drippings, then add the remaining 1 cup of chicken stock and reduce for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to combine flavors. Finish the sauce with the chopped parsley.
As the Bolognese sauce is in its last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time, whisk the polenta into the simmering seasoned chicken stock-cream mixture in a steady stream and stir constantly until the polenta can thickly coat the back of a spoon. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. If you find the polenta is thickening up so much that it is not creamy and it is becoming stiff, you can loosen it with a little more chicken stock or water. Turn the heat off and stir in the cheese.
To serve, divide the creamy polenta among 4 bowls, top the polenta with a BIG serving of the Bolognese sauce, and garnish with some more grated cheese.
Tidbit
Polenta's like a magical porridge when you are in a carbohydrate-depravation depression. It is delicious and easy, and when you cook it creamy-style, a little dry polenta goes a long way in the tasty cooking liquid. I eat it guilt free!