Polenta Cakes With Quick Sausage Sauce Recipes

BAKED POLENTA WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine water and milk in a large saucepan with polenta. Bring to a boil over high heat; add Parmesan cheese and butter. Stir constantly until thickened, about 3 minutes. Pour polenta into a large, round casserole dish, filling about 1 inch deep.
• Heat olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage, mushrooms, onion, and garlic in the skillet until sausage is browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Add wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, Italian seasoning, and oregano; cook over medium heat for 30 minutes.
• Pour tomato sauce mixture over polenta. Top with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 20 minutes.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring the milk and 2 cups water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over low heat.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add the andouille and spread out into a single layer. Cook until browned on the first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Use tongs to flip the sausage pieces and cook until browned on the second side, 2 to 3 minutes more. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a medium bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Add the bell pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Add a drizzle more of oil if the pan seems too dry.
• Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Add the tomatoes and cook, without moving, until the tomatoes are browned on their bottoms and the skins on some are starting to burst, about 2 minutes; add a drizzle of oil if the pan seems too dry. Shake the skillet from side to side several times to turn the tomatoes and cook, shaking the pan frequently to keep the tomatoes moving, until the skins on all of the tomatoes have burst, about 2 minutes more. Transfer the tomatoes to the same bowl as the bell pepper, then season with salt and pepper and stir gently to combine.
• By this time, the milk and water should have come to a simmer. Slowly whisk in the polenta, and a pinch of salt and pepper then continue whisking until the polenta has thickened and just pulls from the sides of the saucepan, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter and Cheddar until melted, about 1 minute. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed. If you would like the polenta looser, whisk in 1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water.
• Divide the polenta among 4 bowls and top with the andouille sausage, bell pepper and tomatoes. Garnish with the scallions and serve with hot sauce on the side.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH PARMESAN AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Put oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, put cornmeal in a medium saucepan along with 1 cup water and whisk well to make a slurry; continue whisking mixture to eliminate any lumps. Put pan over medium-high heat, sprinkle with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, whisking frequently and adding water as needed to keep mixture loose and free of lumps, between 3 and 4 more cups. If mixture becomes too thick, simply add a bit more water; consistency should be similar to sour cream's.
• Polenta will be done in 15 to 30 minutes, depending on grind. Add cheese and butter. Taste and add salt, if necessary, and lots of pepper; serve topped with sausages.

HARD POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• In a saucepan combine the milk, water, bay and cayenne. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and season generously with salt. Take the seasoning to the edge of too salty. To do this you MUST taste as you go. Polenta acts as a salt eraser, if you don't season abundantly here you will never recover from it.
• Once the liquid is at a boil and is seasoned appropriately, sprinkle in the polenta whisking constantly. Once the polenta is combined switch over to a wooden spoon and stir frequently until the polenta has become thick. Taste the polenta to see if it has cooked through. If it still feels mealy and grainy, add some more milk or water and cook it to a thick consistency. Repeat this process, as needed, until the polenta feels smooth on your tongue, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the chopped sage and mascarpone.
• Line a 7 by 7-inch square pan with plastic wrap. Pour the polenta into the prepared pan. Cover the top with more plastic smoothed onto the surface of the polenta. Chill in the refrigerator until needed. (All of this can totally be done ahead of time, like yesterday! Cool!)
• When ready to use, remove the polenta from the pan and cut into desired shapes. Coat a nonstick saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot and starting to smoke just a little, add the polenta shapes. Cook the polenta on both sides and finish by sprinkling with a little bit grated Parmigiano. Transfer to a serving platter and serve while hot.
• What a corncake!!!!

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• Mushrooms: Pick mushrooms that are small and the gills on the underneath side are closed. Gently wash mushrooms and drain. Put all the mushrooms in large Dutch oven and begin cooking on medium heat. Water will be rendered from the mushrooms. If no liquid is rendered from the mushrooms, add 1 cup of broth to begin cooking. When the mushrooms have shriveled, add the broth and the onion soup. Cook slowly for about 2 hours until the mushrooms are darker in color and tender. If more liquid is needed, add water. After 2 hours add the wine and cook 1 hour more. The liquid should be reduced by 2/3 by now. Add the rosemary and butter and keep warm.
• Pork Tenderloin: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Flour the tenderloin and shake off excess. Add salt and pepper. In a skillet over medium high heat, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil or a mixture of oil and butter. Saute the tenderloin until seared on all sides. Put in oven in skillet and roast for about 8 to 12 minutes until internal temperature is 170. Remove loin and keep warm. Deglaze the pan with wine, reduce by half and add a pat of butter. Add tenderloin back to pan and keep warm.
• Polenta Cakes: Wrap polenta in cling wrap and refrigerate until firm. Cut polenta into rounds and dip in egg that has been beaten and dredge in flour mixed with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Fry in oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Make 2 per person.
• To serve: Place 2 polenta cakes on the plate 1 slightly overlapping the other. Slice tenderloin and allow 5 to 6 slices per person. Add drippings from pork loin to mushrooms. Spoon mushrooms with gravy over meat and polenta. Stand a spring of rosemary in center spearing the meat. If you want a fragrant presentation, you can light the rosemary after if has been slightly dried in the microwave.
• Green Bean Bundles: Fresh long green beans about a dozen per person 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips same shape as green beans Strips bacon flattened and cut in half
• Make bundle with green beans and bell pepper and wrap with bacon. You can either tie bacon or use a toothpick. Place bundles in glass pie plate with another pie plate on top and microwave on high until beans are crisp tender and bacon done. Remove toothpicks and serve.