Servings: 4 - 6

The cornmeal: 500 g, or 1 lb 2 oz, or 3 1/2 cups fine-grain cornmeal The béchamel sauce: 50 g, or 2 oz, or 4 tbsp butter 2 tbsp plain flour 1/2 l, or 1 pt, or 2 1/4 cups milk The ragù: 1 onion 1 stick of celery 1 carrot 1 l, or 1 3/4 pt, or 4 1/2 cups home-made tomato sauce 300g, or 11 oz lean minced (ground) meat olive oil chilli pepper

 

In a large pan, sauté all the finely-chopped vegetables with 4 tablespoons of oil. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes over low heat, then add the minced (ground) meat, raise the flame a little and brown. After about 20 minutes, add the tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of chilli pepper paste. Continue cooking very gently and in the meantime prepare the polenta.

Bring two litres (3 1/2 pints, or 9 cups) of water to the boil in a polenta pot, draw off the heat and, with the aid of a wooden spoon or, even better, of a whisk, shower in the cornmeal flour, stirring continuously so that lumps do not form. Return to very low heat for about 40 minutes and, meanwhile, prepare the béchamel sauce.

Finish cooking the polenta, turn it out onto a pastry board (make sure that it is no thicker than 1/2 inch), and allow to cool, while the meat sauce is simmering away.

Cut into squares and arrange a layer in a large, buttered teglia. Alternate layers of polenta with 5 tablespoons of ragù and a handful of Parmesan cheese. Continue in this way until the teglia is full. Spread a generous ladle of béchamel sauce over the last layer, dredge with Parmesan and bake in a medium oven for half-an-hour, until a nice golden crust forms on top.