Hearty Polenta and Sausage

Name: Hearty Polenta and Sausage
Yield: serves 2
Ingredients: Olive oil spray; 1/2 cup dry polenta; 1 1/2 cups broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable) or water; 4 to 8 garlic cloves, minced; 1 teaspoon dried basil, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh; 2 or 3 spicy sausages, fresh or frozen (1/2 to 3/4 pound); 4 to 8 mushrooms, sliced; 1/2 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced into strips; 1 carrot, sliced into coins; Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; One 10-ounce package frozen spinach, or 2 large handfuls fresh; 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, optional

December 9, 2011

Turkey sausage—especially the hot and spicy kind—is excellent in this dish. Wild mushrooms add a hearty flavor that complements the sausage, but common white mushrooms do just fine here as well. To use dried mushrooms, place in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and steep while you prepare the rest of the ingredients (ten to twenty minutes). When softened, drain well and slice. If using frozen spinach, try to break the block into a few pieces to spread around in the pot. If it is simply too hard to break, don’t worry. It will still cook fine, although you may find you need to cook the meal another five to ten minutes for the polenta to soften completely. As always with these recipes, use your nose as your guide.

Recipe notes

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