Posted by on Jan 8, 2018 | 13 comments

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Okay, mama is bugging me to mention that in this cold winter coming or already here, one of the simplest, tastiest dishes on earth is polenta and sausages.  Simple:  For four people, sauté any number of sausages you like until nicely browned (drool).  Stir 1 cup of corn meal (polenta is corn meal and there are many  (we happen to have an Italian one from Tarangna that is whole-grain but plain corn meal will do just as well (Albers, for example in the USA) into 2-3 cups of chicken broth or even plain old salted water, but broth is best.  Stir the broth and corn meal until nice and thick and add a big spoon of grated parmesan, a pat of butter, salt and pepper.

Make a simple tomato sauce: Saute a small, chopped sweet onion in 1/4 cup olive oil, add 1 large can of crushed tomatoes, salt to taste and simmer.  When the polenta is nice and smooth and fairly thick, spoon it onto a warm plate, make a well in the middle, spoon in tomato sauce and sprinkle with grated parmesan.

Voila’!

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This dish will warm any tummy, even mine.  I tasted the polenta and it was pretty darn good.  Maybe a little tuna fish could be added….

Mama is looking at me as if I have gone bonkers.

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Cooking is exhausting.  She made ME stir the polenta.  (Just kidding, you don’t have to stir polenta more than a few minutes, contrary to all the old wives’ tales on stirring, stirring, stirring for hours on end.  Mama knows short cuts and that’s one.)