Sweet Italian Sausage
with Local Plum Tomato-Caper Pomodoro, Shaved Parmesan and Soft Polenta
Nothing could be more rustic yet satisfying than this Italian staple of a dish. When cooked with love and paired with the right accompaniments, even low-budget Italian sausage deserves a place on high-end tables.
Yields approx 6 servings
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Spanish Onion, medium dice
4 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. Capers, rinsed well
4 cups Plum Tomatoes, ripe, peeled, seeded, pureed through food mill
1 sprig Basil, fresh
To Taste: Kosher or Sea Salt
1 tsp. Sugar (If needed)
24 oz. Chicken Stock
4 oz. Butter
4 oz. Yellow Corn Meal
To Taste: Kosher or Sea Salt
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
12 Italian Sausages, 5 or 6 links, mild or spicy
As needed: Parmesan, wedge of, for shaving over sausage
Optional: Basil Sprigs, for garnish
Directions:
For the sauce: In a wide, shallow sauce pan, sweat onions slowly in oil until tender and translucent. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes until fragrant. (Do not brown.) Add capers and cook 1 more minute. Add fresh tomato puree and basil sprig and bring to a simmer. Cook until tomatoes have broken down and reduced to a sauce-like consistency. Season with salt and add sugar only if necessary. Set aside.
For the polenta: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan large enough to hold all of the ingredients, bring chicken stock and half of butter to a boil to melt the butter. Turn off heat and allow the stock to cool briefly. In a steady stream while constantly whisking, pour corn meal into warm stock-butter mixture and whisk well. Add a touch of salt. Bring to a boil while whisking and reduce to a low simmer. Using a wooden spoon (wood will not scrape your pans, darkening the light-colored polenta mix when you scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent burning), frequently stir the mixture, scraping the bottom as you go, until the grains of corn meal have swelled, the liquid is absorbed and the mixture is creamy. Stir in remaining butter and season to taste with additional salt, if needed. Cover and hold warm.
For the sausage: In a large frying pan, brown the sausage links in oil until well browned on all sides. Proper browning will contribute tons of flavor and help tenderize the sausage skin. Pour off half of the oil from the pan and add the tomato sauce to the pan. Bring to a simmer. Using the wooden spoon, scrape the tasty brown bits from the sausage off of the bottom of the frying pan into the sauce. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover the pan, leaving it cracked with a lid, and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the sausage is completely tender. Add a touch of water, if needed, throughout the cooking process to keep the tomato sauce from reducing and becoming too thick.
Presentation:
Spoon a mound of hot polenta into each of six preheated wide-rimmed bowls. Place two links of sausage over the polenta and top with marinara sauce. Shave on a decent amount of Parmesan cheese and garnish with basil, if using.
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