Polenta with Sausage
Soft polenta topped with Italian sausage simmered in tomato sauce with pancetta and soffritto.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp onion, chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp carrot, chopped
- 3 tbsp celery, chopped
- ¼ lb pancetta, cut into strips
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, cut into 3" lengths
- 1 cup canned tomatoes, cut up with their juice
- 2 cups polenta (see Notes)
Instructions
- Sauté the onion in the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until pale gold.
- Add the carrots, celery, and pancetta and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the sausages and cook for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
- Add the tomatoes and their juices, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and transfer to a 200° oven to keep warm while you prepare the polenta.
- Prepare the polenta. Pour onto a large platter and make a depression in the center. Add the sausage and sauce and serve immediately.
Notes
To prepare polenta, you can use either coarse-grained cornmeal, or use a high-quality instant polenta to save time (I like Pastene Instant Polenta).
To prepare traditional polenta with cornmeal, bring 6 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a large, heavy pot.
Add 1 tbsp salt and turn the heat down to bring the water to a simmer.
Slowly add the cornmeal (2 cups total) in a steady, thin stream. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon.
Continue stirring for 20 minutes until all of the cornmeal has been added.
In both traditional and instant polenta, you will know it is done when it tears away from the sides of the pot as you stir.