Baked Polenta Milanese Style Recipe - Polenta Pasticciata alla Milanese

Once you have cooked up your firm polenta, pour it out on your work surface and spread it out to finger-thick with a knife, dipping the blade repeatedly in boiling water to keep it hot. Let it cool.

Rub the mushrooms clean with a soft cloth (only use water of you must), slice them, and sauté them until done in unsalted butter, seasoning them with a pinch of salt.

Heat the minced mixture in a skillet, together with the pieces of the meat and the salami, which should be diced. Brown the meat over a brisk flame, and when it is well colored add the wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by 4/5. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of flour over the meat, stir well, add the blended tomatoes, and season everything with a little salt and pepper, and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Simmer for two hours, adding more liquid only if the sauce thickens overmuch. When the meat is cooked dice it and return it to the pot and add the mushrooms.

Butter an elegant oven-proof dish that's 4 inches deep and a foot across, and lay down the polenta in strips, covering each with sauce, a few shavings of truffle, and some of the grated cheese; if you like it you can also add a little béchamel sauce to each of the layers. The final layer of polenta should just be topped with meat sauce and dotted with butter because heat turns Parmigiano bitter; bake the pasticcio in a 375 (185 C) oven until it is browned, and serve it with the remaining grated cheese.

The wine? A Valcalepio Rosso.