Since I only used two of the four sausages we had bought at Whole Foods for the lentils recipe, I searched in my fat Taste of Home cookbook and found one more sausage-related recipe. Polenta has always been a favorite of mine, but I had never bothered to make it on my own. It is one of the easiest foods to make, I couldn’t believe it! Just cornmeal, salt and water, literally- crazy….It may be a bit harder ordering polenta dishes at Italian restaurants, now I know I can whip it up at home in no time. This dish was phenomonal! I was a little skeptical only because Alex hates oatmeal so I wouldn’t have been surprised if he wasn’t into the polenta. He loved it! After the sausages cooked whole on the skillet long enough so I could cut them into slices, I did just that and put them back on the skillet to cook some more. This gave them a great charred taste that carried through into the sauce perfectly. The canned organic tomatoes I used (365 Whole Foods brand) had a fresh flavor and the cooked garlic also helped add a little smokiness to the sauce. The leftovers were just as tasty and provided my lunch the next two days
Now, I just need to figure out what to do with my leftover polenta….
Polenta With Sausage, adapted from Taste of Home cookbook
4 cups water, divided
1 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound fresh sausages (any kind will do, but I used one chicken apple and one mild pork)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup water and cornmeal. In a saucepan, bring salt and remaining water to a boil. Slowly, stir in cornmeal mixture. Reduce heat; cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage and garlic over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; drain if necessary. Cool slightly. Cut sausage into 1-inch pieces; return to skillet. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and parsley; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.
Spread half of the cornmeal mixture in a serving dish; top with half the sausage mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve immediately. Makes about 6 servings.