Corn Meal Loaf
A historical recipe from Practical Italian recipes for American kitchens, by Julia Lovejoy Cuniberti (1917).
A historical recipe
Practical Italian recipes for American kitchens: Sold to aid the families of Italian soldiers, by Julia Lovejoy Cuniberti (1917). Project Gutenberg eBook #43912.
From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.
Italy
Known as an Italian recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.
Cook safely
Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.
- Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.
- Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
- Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.
Method
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- Pasticcio di Polenta Yellow cornmeal Dried mushrooms Parmesan cheese Butter Cream Salt The day before this dish is to be served, cook cornmeal very thoroughly with only enough water to make it very stiff.
- Turn out to cool in just the shape of the dish in which it has cooked.
- Next day take this same dish, butter it and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
- Cut the mould of cornmeal in horizontal slices about 1/4 inch thick.
- Lay the top slice in the bottom of the dish where it fits.
- Dot with two or three small pieces of butter and three or four dried mushrooms which have had boiling water poured over them and soaked some time.
- Moisten with cream and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
- Repeat slice by slice until the shape is complete.
- On the last slice put only two dots of butter.
- Put in a moderate oven and bake three hours.
- If at the end of this time there should be too much liquid on top pour this off to use for the seasoning of some other dish, such as spaghetti, rice or noodles, and continue cooking until the liquid ceases to ooze.
Plating
Cookware for this recipe
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Saucepan
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Chef's knife
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Cutting board
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Grater