Polenta With Sausage And Basil Recipes

SAUSAGE WITH CREAMY POLENTA AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sausage: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add the broccoli rabe to the pot and cook for a few minutes. Drain and immediately transfer to the ice bath; let cool. Remove and pat dry, then chop finely. Set aside.
• Run the pork shoulder through a meat grinder, first using the medium grinder-plate, and then using the small grinder-plate.
• Transfer the ground pork to a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic, broccoli rabe, salt, fennel pollen, fennel seeds, red pepper and Parmesan. Mix well.
• Using a sausage stuffer, stuff the sausage mixture into casings, and twist into links. Cut the links to separate the sausages.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the sausage links into the pot, making sure they're submerged. Turn down the heat and simmer the sausages until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove and dry on paper towels. Set aside.
• For the polenta: In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, 2 cups water and bay leaf to a boil. Season generously with salt, almost to the point of over seasoning. How do you know that you are there? Taste it! When the liquid has reached a boil, slowly whisk in the polenta in small sprinkles. Once all the polenta has been incorporated, reduce the heat to medium and immediately switch over to stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook the polenta until it begins to pull away from the pan, adding water to loosen it up if it becomes too thick. When the polenta is thoroughly cooked, it should look creamy and not feel gritty on your tongue. Remove it from the heat and stir in the Parmesan and mascarpone. Keep warm.
• For the tomato sauce: In a medium pot, combine the garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, 1 cup water, red pepper, basil and some salt. Bring to boil, lower heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• To serve, spoon a pool of polenta onto a plate, add a ladle of tomato sauce, and top with a sausage.

POLENTA AND SAUSAGES FOR A CROWD (POLENTA ALLA SPIANATORA)

Steps:

• Prepare the polenta: In a heavy-bottomed pot, whisk together polenta, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 8 cups boiling water over medium-high heat. Continue whisking as mixture comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Turn heat to low and switch from a whisk to a wooden spoon. Stir every 10 minutes or so, for about 40 minutes, adding a splash of water as necessary to keep polenta from thickening too much. It may take as much as 2 cups more liquid to achieve a smooth, pourable consistency. Taste polenta for salt and add pepper to taste. Stir well, cover and keep warm for up to 30 minutes.
• As polenta cooks, prepare the topping: Add olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until softened. Add sausages and let brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add bay leaf, garlic and basil sprig, and cook for 1 minute more. Add wine, turn up heat, and let reduce by half.
• Add crushed tomatoes and their juices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour, until sauce has thickened somewhat. Taste and adjust with salt and red-pepper flakes. (If using mushrooms, sauté over high heat in a little olive oil, until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper.)
• To serve, rinse a large circular wooden board, about 18-inch diameter, with cool water. (Alternatively, use a large platter.) Pour polenta onto the board, and, using a spatula, quickly spread it into a circle about 3/4-inch deep.
• Carefully ladle sauce over the polenta, leaving a 1-inch polenta border at the edges. Arrange sausages over the sauce. Top with mushrooms, if using. Sprinkle with basil, parsley and pecorino.
• Place polenta in the center of the table, alongside bowls of grated pecorino. To serve the dish traditionally, offer guests forks but no plates and invite them to attack the polenta nearest their chair. Alternatively, cut polenta into large slices, and serve on dinner plates.

POLENTA ROUNDS WITH SAUSAGE RAGOUT

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook sausage and garlic over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes and pepper. Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until heated through. Remove from the heat; stir in basil., In another skillet, cook polenta slices in oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Serve with sausage mixture; sprinkle with cheese.

BUDIN DE POLENTA WITH MUSHROOM AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large saute pan, saute sausages, and place in the oven at 350 degrees for about 7 to 8 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 250 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, start the polenta. Combine milk, stock, chile, butter, herbs, salt, and pepper in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove herbs. Slowly pour in polenta whisking constantly until thick. Remove immediately and add the cheese, stirring until incorporated. Pour into a lightly buttered bowl. Place in 250 degree F oven until ready to serve.
• Remove sausage from the pan and drain the fat. To the same pan, add shallots, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook until soft. Add wine and tomatoes and place sausages back into the pan. Reduce down 3/4 of the way; finish with picked basil and butter. Remove polenta from oven, invert onto a large platter. Place sausage mixture around the polenta.

POLENTA WITH SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Bring 6 cups of water to a simmer and add the polenta. Cook over low heat, stirring often, 45 minutes. Stir in the butter, Parmesan and olive oil and keep warm.
• Add the tomatoes, sausage, garlic, peppers, onion and crushed red pepper to a large cast-iron pot and simmer, 30 minutes. Serve sauce over polenta, topped with some ricotta and basil.

POLENTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Combine water, cornmeal and salt in a double boiler or heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, brown sausage and garlic in a large skillet; drain. Cool slightly. Cut sausage into 1-in. pieces; return to skillet.
• Add 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 of the sausage mixture. Repeat layers.
• Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.

POLENTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Squeeze sausage out of casings into skillet, and saute over medium heat. Break sausage up into small pieces and cook until no longer pink.
• Remove sausage from skillet and discard drippings except 1 tablespoons.
• Saute onion and garlic in reserved sausage drippings until onion is soft. Add mushrooms and zucchini, stir frequently until all liquid evaporates. Stir in tomatoes, herbs, and red pepper flakes. Return sausage to skillet and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Spread an even scant amount of sauce (about 2/3 cup) on bottom of an 11x7 inch baking pan. Add a single layer of sliced polenta rounds. Layer with 2 cups of sausage sauce and 3/4 cup of Provolone.
• Finish with an additional layer of polenta rounds, all the sausage sauce, and all the Provolone. Sprinkle Parmesan on top.
• Bake uncovered at 350F for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

POLENTA WITH SAUSAGE AND BASIL

Steps:

• TO COOK POLENTA: In 4-quart saucepot, bring water, Olive Oil and salt to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and stir in polenta with a wooden spoon. Return to medium heat and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Immediately, spread into two lightly greased half sheet pans (18 x 12-inches). Let cool completely. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut into 48 rounds per sheet pan (6 across and 8 down). Place on a clean sheet pan. Store covered with plastic wrap until ready to assemble. TO MAKE SAUSAGE MIXTURE: Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon Olive Oil over medium-high heat and cook onion, stirring occasionally, 3 - 5 minutes or until sausage is brown. Stir in Sauce and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until sausage is done. TO ASSEMBLE HORS D'OEUVRES: Preheat broiler. Uncover polenta rounds; brush with additional Olive Oil and season lightly with additional salt. Broil about 7 - 10 minutes or until heated through and a light crust forms. Immediately top each round with 1 very heaping teaspoon of heated sausage mixture. Sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan cheese and garnish each with basil chiffonade. Serve immediately.