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Antonio Carluccio's Polenta with Meat Sauce

Traditional Recipe from the Abruzzi Region

Feb 9, 2009 Rebecca Ford

Antonio Carluccio knows a thing or two about Italian regional food. This recipe for Polenta with Meat Sauce comes from the Abruzzi and is served on a table - literally.

The cuisine of the Abruzzi, says famous Italian chef Antonio Carluccio, is characterised by the use of hot dried chilli. The region, on the east of Italy, bordering the Adriatic has a cooking style that leans towards that of southern Italy. Meat features in many dishes, notably this one for polenta with a meat sauce, which comes from Antonio Carluccio’s fascinating book Italia (pub. Quadrille, £14.99) and appears here with permission.

This recipe, known as Polenta all Spianatora or Polenta on the table, involves serving the meal on the centre of a spianatora (a special round table). Everyone then helps themselves, so it’s a great dish to share. Antonio Carluccio explains that it’s a custom that also appears in the Marche, in Basilicata and in the north of Italy. Of course you may not have a spianatora – so a large wooden board will do. While the recipe mentions pork, you can use any other types of meat if you prefer.

Polenta with Meat Sauce (Polenta alla Spianatora) Recipe

Ingredients Serves 6-8

For the Polenta

600 g polenta flour (or instant polenta)
20 g salt

For the Ragu (Meat Sauce)

1.2 kg pork - or any other meat (not too lean)
10 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Salt
100 ml white wine
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 kg mixed red and yellow peppers
2 red chillies, or more
6 tbsp white wine vinegar

To Serve

Freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese

Method

First, prepare the ragu. Cut the pork into walnut-sized pieces. Heat half the olive oil in a pan and fry the meat until browned on all sides. Add the garlic and cook gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Season with salt to taste. Mix the white wine with the tomato puree, add to the pan and cook for a further 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, halve, core and deseed the peppers, then cut into strips. Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and fry the peppers quite briskly until soft, letting only the edges caramelise. Add the chilli (as much as you can take), a little salt and the wine vinegar, and sauté for a minute or two.
Add the peppers to the meat, and taste for salt and chilli. Cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
Meanwhile, make the polenta. Bring 3.5 litres of water to the boil in a large pan, with the salt added. Pour in the polenta and cook, stirring, until thickened and smooth, about 30-40 minutes (or just 5-6 minutes if you've cheated and used instant polenta).
Pour the polenta on to the spianatora or a large wooden board, leaving a space in the middle. Pour the pork ragu into the middle of the polenta. Sit everyone around, armed with a fork and a big appetite! Hand the grated Parmesan or pecorino separately.

Here is Carluccio's recipe for Gnocchi with Porcini Sauce and his recipe for Presniz: Italian Pastry with Rum and Raisins.

The copyright of the article Antonio Carluccio's Polenta with Meat Sauce in Italian Cuisine is owned by Rebecca Ford. Permission to republish Antonio Carluccio's Polenta with Meat Sauce in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.