Rick Tonial, Sesto al Reghena, Pordenone
This is an old northern Italian recipe, commonly known as Umido. It was made with scrap pieces of various meats, and served on a bed of polenta. This recipe is a result of my father’s (Bruno Tonial) influence on me as a cook. My Dad always cooked our Sunday meals and he had a passion to create flavourful dishes.
(Yield: 8 servings)
1 pound Italian sausage
(cut in 1-inch pieces)
2 pounds stewing veal (cubed)
1 pound stewing beef (cubed)
1 slab pork ribs
(dressed and cut between each bone)
4 ¼-inch slices pancetta (diced)
extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon each dried, thyme, oregano, basil, sage, rosemary
1 onion (diced)
1 garlic head (peeled and minced)
1 celery stalk (diced)
1 carrot (diced)
8 ounces tomato paste
1 bottle white wine
2 cups chicken broth
3 pounds (48 ounces) San Marzano tomatoes
(puréed through a passatutto)
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 bay leaves
4 cups medium-grain polenta
16 cups water
4 cups Parmesan cheese
6 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1. Place all meats and pancetta in large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon (each) of thyme, oregano, basil, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper. Toss. Spread onto a large cookie sheet and roast in oven preheated to 400°F for approx. 40 minutes, mixing occasionally until meat has caramelized but is not completely cooked.
2.Warm ½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil in large oven-ready saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onions, garlic, celery, and carrots until onions are translucent.
3.Increase heat to high and add tomato paste, cooking for approx. 8 minutes or until colour gets darker. Add semi-cooked meats with 2 cups of white wine. Allow mixture to boil for 10 minutes, then add chicken broth and tomatoes. Deglaze the cookie sheet (used to cook the meat) with some wine or water and add this liquid mixture to the saucepan with meat.
4.Add chicken bouillon, ½ teaspoon each of thyme, oregano, basil, sage and rosemary, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 4 bay leaves. Re-season with salt and pepper to taste. Once mixture has come to a boil cover and place in oven preheated to 350°F for 4 hours, stirring hourly.
5.Meanwhile, make polenta (as per instructions on page 308).
6.On pre-greased cookie pans, pour the hot polenta and spread to approx. ¼-inch thick. Place pans in fridge, and cool polenta for a least an hour. Then cut into lasagna-sized strips.
7.Remove meat from pot. Let meat cool and then remove all bones, shredding the meat (like pulled pork). Return meat back to pot containing the rich tomato sauce.
8.Using a 9x13 oven dish, ladle some of the meat sauce on the bottom. Cover with a layer of polenta strips, cover these with meat sauce, and sprinkle with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. Continue building your layers until all ingredients have been used, ending with the meat sauce on top.
9.Cover with aluminum foil and bake in oven preheated to 350°F for approx. 1 hour. Remove and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Serve.
The key to the sauce is the rich layers of flavours that are created by caramelizing the meats. The baking of the Umido for 4 hours results in a rich tomato sauce.