Serves 4
Dried mushrooms are great for adding richness and savoriness, but they can be a little pricey. As an alternative, look for bulk mushroom powder (you'll just need a pinch) or you can omit them altogether. For a dairy-free version of the polenta, use olive oil instead of butter and omit the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Polenta is creamy on its own.
Ingredients
- 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lb Italian sausage, removed from casing
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 1 celery stalk, minced
- 1/2 leek, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
Polenta
- 2 qt water
- Salt, as needed
- 2 cups cornmeal (12 oz)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (2 oz; optional)
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped flatleaf parsley
Directions
- Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let them soak for 20 minutes, then drain and coarsely chop them.
- In a saucepan, heat the oil, then add the sausage. Once the fat of the sausage starts rendering, after about 3 minutes, add the onion, celery, leek, carrot, and the porcini, making sure you break the sausage up as it starts cooking. Cook for 10 minutes longer, then mix the tomato paste with the water and add to the saucepan.
- Stir well, cover, and cook very slowly for 30 to 40 minutes. If necessary, add a little bit of water during cooking to make sure the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- To make the polenta, bring the water to a simmer. Add salt and slowly add the cornmeal, making sure you whisk continuously. Simmer gently for about 45 minutes or until the polenta is done, stirring frequently to make sure the polenta does not stick.
- Remove the polenta from the heat, adjust seasoning, and add the butter and cheese, if using, mixing vigorously until combined.
- Add the parsley to the sausage mixture. Serve the polenta and sausage together.
