P
Italian · Molise
Millefoglie di Polenta Molisana
Molise's layered polenta preparation: poured polenta cooled to solid on a large board, sliced into sheets, then layered in a baking dish with a slow-cooked ragù of pork sausage, tomato, and Pecorino di Capracotta — resembling lasagne in structure but using polenta sheets instead of pasta. Baked until the polenta layers absorb the ragù and the cheese forms a golden, bubbling crust. A winter Sunday dish in the Molise interior that elegantly bridges the pasta and polenta traditions of the region.
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the polenta
250 g
coarse cornmeal (polenta bramata)
Your own market
1 litre
water
Your own market
10 g
fine salt
Your own market
40 g
Pecorino di Capracotta
finely grated; stirred into the polenta during cooking
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the ragù
400 g
pork sausage
casings removed, meat crumbled
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
400 g
1
medium white onion
finely chopped
Your own market
30 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
Your own market
1
bay leaf
Your own market
5 g
fine salt
to taste
Your own market
To assemble
120 g
Pecorino di Capracotta
finely grated
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Bring the water to a rolling boil with the salt. Pour the cornmeal in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 40–45 minutes. In the final 5 minutes, stir in the 40 g of grated Pecorino. The polenta is ready when it pulls cleanly away from the sides of the pan and a spoon drawn across the surface leaves a furrow that holds.
2
Pour the cooked polenta onto a large, lightly dampened wooden board or tray in an even layer approximately 5–7 mm deep. Spread level with a wetted spatula. Leave uncovered at room temperature until fully cold, then refrigerate — ideally overnight. The polenta is ready to slice only when it is firm throughout: it should feel rigid and unyielding to firm finger pressure, not at all yielding or tacky.
3
Warm the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently until soft and translucent, without colour. Add the crumbled sausage meat and cook, stirring, until no raw pink remains. Add the crushed tomatoes and the bay leaf, reduce the heat to low, and simmer uncovered until the ragù is dense and holds its shape when a spoon is dragged through the pan — it must not be soupy. This is where the dish lives or dies: a thin, watery ragù will saturate the polenta sheets and cause the assembly to collapse. Allow approximately 45–60 minutes of slow cooking. Remove the bay leaf. Season with salt.
4
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Using an unwaxed thread or fine wire — not a knife, which drags and deforms the sheet — slice the cold polenta block into neat sheets 5–7 mm thick. Pass the thread beneath the block, cross the ends over the top, and draw through in a single smooth motion. The sheets should be firm, clean-edged, and hold their shape without crumbling.
5
Lightly oil a baking dish. Lay a first layer of polenta sheets to cover the base, trimming pieces to fit. Spread a generous layer of ragù over the polenta. Scatter a liberal quantity of grated Pecorino over the ragù. Repeat — polenta, ragù, Pecorino — for as many layers as the dish allows, finishing with a polenta sheet topped by a generous, even layer of Pecorino. The cheese between layers is both flavour and structural binding; do not economise.
6
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 180 °C for 20 minutes, until the polenta layers have absorbed the ragù and the dish is heated through. Remove the foil and continue baking for a further 10 minutes. The dish is ready when the Pecorino on top is golden and actively bubbling, and the edges show a slight caramelised colour.
7
Remove from the oven and rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. The layers should hold when portioned — a clean edge visible in cross-section. If the layers have set and the ragù is no longer fluid, the bake has succeeded.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Stone-ground coarse polenta from a single Molisan mill; Pecorino di Capracotta from a named mountain producer; hand-made fresh pork sausage with wild fennel.
02
Estate — High-quality branded coarse polenta (bramata); aged Pecorino Romano DOP as a substitute; artisan pork sausage from a good butcher.
03
Market — Standard supermarket coarse polenta; good Pecorino Romano from a deli counter; fresh pork sausage of known provenance.
04
House — Instant or quick-cook polenta (texture will be softer and less structured); pre-grated Pecorino; any coarse-textured pork sausage available.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. The cooled polenta block is rigid and unyielding under firm finger pressure — not yielding or tacky at any point.
◇Sight. The ragù holds a clear furrow when a spoon is dragged through the pan; no liquid pools at the edges.
◇Sight. The sliced polenta sheets are firm and clean-edged, holding their form without crumbling or bending.
◇Sight. After uncovered baking, the Pecorino surface is golden, actively bubbling, and shows slight caramelised colour at the dish's edges.
◇Where it lives or dies. The ragù must be cooked to a dense, spoonable consistency before layering — thin ragù saturates the polenta sheets and the assembly collapses.
Pillar V
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Antinori Tignanello
Marchesi Antinori · Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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