Basque Sausage with Creamy Polenta

Categories: Pork- Main Dish

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb. sweet and/or hot Italian sausage links
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14 1/2 oz. can chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 medium red and/or green sweet pepper, cut into strips
• 10 oz. fresh spinach, coarsely chopped (about 10 cups)
• 1 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1 recipe Creamy Polenta:
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup cold water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. dried tomato tapenade or basil pesto
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a very large skillet cook sausage over medium-high heat about 8 minutes or until browned, turning once. Remove form skillet, reserving any drippings. Cut sausage into 2-inch pieces (sausage will not be cooked through). Set sausage aside.

2. In the same skillet cook onion and garlic in reserved drippings about 3 minutes or until tender (add olive or cooking oil to skillet if necessary.) Carefully add broth and lemon juice. Add salt, marjoram, and ground black pepper. Return sausage to skillet. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add the sweeet peppers, simmer, covered, 10 minutes more or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the sausages registers 160 degrees.

3. Meanwhile, in a 4-quart Dutch oven, bring a small amount of salted water to boiling. Add spinach. Cook covered, until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Drain spinach, transfer to a bowl. Stir in vinegar. Set aside.

4. Using a slotted spoon transfer sausage mixture to one half of a serving platter. Spoon creamy Polenta onto the other half; cover to keep warm. In a screw-top jar combine 1/2 cup water and the flour, cover and shake well. Whisk into cooking liquid in skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. cook and stir 1 minute more. Spoon some of the sauce over Creamy Polenta and sausage mixture. Top sausage with spinach. Pass remaining sauce.

5. Creamy Polenta:

6. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Meanwhile, in a bowl combine cornmeal, 1 cup cold water, and salt. Slowly add cornmeal mixture to boiling water, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened, stirring occasionally. Before serving, stir in milk

7. until mixture is creamy. Gently stir in tapenade

8. or bail pesto swirling with a spoon or spatula to achieve a marbled appearance.

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