Applause Online

April 2004

Departments

Polenta Lasagna with Mushroom Béchamel
Courtesy of The Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon
Reprinted with permission.

Golden squares are meltingly soft but crisped on top under the broiler in this hearty casserole. Widely available rubes of cooked polenta make the creation of this dish extremely simple.

Serves 6 to 8

Cooking spray or oil
1/2 large onion, sliced
1/2 pound shitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced thick
1/4 pound button mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons low-fat milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 ounces Neufchatel reduced-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup white wine
Salt, freshly ground black pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg to taste
1/2 cup any vegetarian tomato sauce
1 tube plain or pesto-flavored commercial polenta, cut into 3/8-inch slices
1/4-3/4 cup (1 to 3 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil (or use cooking spray) a 9 by 13 -inch baking dish. Set aside.

Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok (or use cooking spray) over high heat. Add onion and stir-fry until almost translucent and beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to stir-fry until onion starts to get limp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 3/4 cup milk and bring to simmer.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 2 tablespoons milk. When the mushroom mixture is simmering, stir in the cornstarch mixture. It will almost immediately become very thick. Stir in the Neufchatel, then the wine. When well blended, remove from heat. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Spread a few tablespoons of tomato sauce in the baking dish. Scatter about one-quarter of the polenta slices in a layer over the sauce, evenly spaced. Lightly dust with Parmesan. Ladle all the mushroom mixture into the pan in an even layer. Lay in another quarter of the polenta, and dust with cheese. Top with the remainder of the tomato sauce. Top with the rest of polenta.

Bake until bubbling hot, 35 to 45 minutes. If desired, sprinkle top with additional Parmesan cheese and place under broiler for a few seconds. Remove from oven, lightly ten with foil to keep warm; allow to set for 15 minutes before serving.