February 22, 2008 Uncategorized Lindsey Johnson | Cafe Johnsonia
To say I love polenta is an understatement. I hadn’t even tried it
until I was dating my husband. We ate it in cubes under homemade chilli.
When I want to treat my husband, I make him some. And I don’t fool
around with that stuff you buy in the supermarket–the tube polenta. It’s
just not the same. Yes, there’s a little extra effort involved. And
constant attention to the bubbling pot on the stove. Oh, and possibly a
few burns. But, it’s worth the extra effort. Very worth it.
Ingredients:
For Polenta:
6 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups coarse, stone-ground cornmeal (I like Goya brand)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
For Sausage and Peppers:
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. Italian sausage (can use pork or chicken)
1 of each: red, yellow, green bell pepper, cut lengthwise into
strips
1 large onion, cut lengthwise into strips
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1, 28 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 small can tomato sauce
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
For Polenta:
Prepare an 8″ by 11″ or 9″ by 13″ baking dish by either buttering or
spraying with non-stick cooking spray. Bring water to a hard boil in a
large pot–I use a stockpot. Add salt.
While whisking, slowly pour cornmeal into the boiling water.
Continue whisking until it comes to a rolling boil. Switch to a wooden
spoon and stir continually. The mixture will slowly thicken to a
porridge, but will be done when the bubbles in the center of the pot are
very large and the polenta starts to come away from the sides of the
pan. This takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Add butter and Parmesan cheese and stir well. Pour into prepared pan
and set aside until the polenta sets up. (You can serve it soft, which
is also delicious.) Slice the polenta into squares and serve.
For Sausage and Peppers:
Remove casing from sausage. Heat a large skillet over medium-high
heat. Break the sausage up as it cooks into large chunks–roughly the
size of meatballs. Cook sausage until it is no longer pink and has
started to brown. Drain off the rendered fat. Add the tomatoes and
tomato sauce and set aside.
Spray a 3 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add the
peppers, onion, and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.
Place in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the veggies
start to soften. Stir in the sausage-tomato sauce and place back in the
oven for another 20-30 minutes.
Serve hot over slices of polenta. Serves 6.
Notes about polenta:
Make sure you stir constantly. This will prevent lumps.
Most important–Be very, very careful while you stir. Those bubbles
get pretty big and when they burst, the hot polenta can splash and
really burn you. I have quite a few scars. Wear really good and long
oven mitts to protect yourself.
Leftovers are great sliced and fried in a little butter or oil and
drizzled with maple syrup.