Grandma Irene made polenta very often. You’d see polenta wheels resting everywhere in the kitchen, in the pantry, among the dishes, or even in the dining room.
She served it still hot with boiled meats or gulash, or if there were any leftovers, she fried it.
When she had grandchildren for supper, she served it like this… like lasagna… Southern-style with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. I loved it when it was super crunchy and stringy.

Grandma Irene's Polenta Pastry

  • Preparation time: 20 minutes + baking
  • Ingredients for 4 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy recipe

  • Ingredients
  • 375 grams of instant polenta
  • 1.5 liters of water
  • 500 grams of peeled tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • 200 grams of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 250 grams of mozzarella (Grandma added it to make it stringy)
  • Salt to taste
  • Butter to taste
  1. Instructions
  2. Bring the water to a boil and add the polenta, stirring quickly. Cook for eight to ten minutes, stirring constantly over medium heat. Season with salt.
  3. Place the polenta in a buttered or parchment-lined pan. Let it cool for a few hours.
  4. Then prepare the tomato sauce.
  5. Put the peeled tomatoes through a food mill to create a purée.
  6. Clean the onion and rinse it well.
  7. In a pan, heat a little extra virgin olive oil with the whole onion, pour in the purée, and cook for about fifteen minutes, until the water in the pulp has reduced. Season with salt.
  8. Cut the mozzarella into cubes and place them in a colander to drain the whey.
  9. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
  10. Take the polenta and cut it into thin slices, about 0.5-1 cm thick.
  11. In a lightly buttered pan, place a layer of polenta slices, a little tomato sauce, diced mozzarella, and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Make another layer. For the final layer, add just a little butter and Parmesan cheese. To make it crispier, I dice the polenta for the final layer.
  12. Bake in the oven for about thirty minutes, turning on the grill for the last ten minutes to create a nice crust.
    Remove the polenta from the oven and let it rest for at least fifteen minutes before portioning and serving.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • When pouring the flour into the boiling water, remember to use a whisk and stir quickly to prevent gnocchi from forming.
  • If you prefer, you can also top it with another type of cheese or with cotechino and honey mushrooms (Friulian style).

Grandma photos