Recipe: Zucchini and Sausage with Oven Polenta

ZUCCHINI AND SAUSAGE WITH OVEN POLENTA

1 cup coarse-ground polenta
Kosher salt
Black pepper in a mill
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated dry Jack cheese
3 to 4 Italian sausages of choice
Dry white wine, optional
Olive oil, as needed
3 to 4 small (4 to 6 inches) zucchini, cut into 1/4 -inch rounds
Chunk of dry Jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the polenta into a 2-quart baking dish, season very generously with salt - about 2 teaspoons - and several turns of black pepper, add 4 cups water and stir thoroughly. Scatter the butter over the mixture.

Set the baking dish in the center of the oven's top rack and bake for 40 minutes.

Open the oven, pull out the rack, add the 1/2 cup of cheese and stir the polenta. Close the oven and cook the polenta for 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven, cover with a tea towel and let rest 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the sausages into a saute pan, prick them with a fork in several places and cover with either white wine or water. Set over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Simmer over high heat until the sausages are firm when pressed and the liquid has nearly completely evaporated. Turn the sausages now and then as they cook. Transfer the cooked sausages to a plate.

Return the pan to medium high heat; if there is not enough fat from the sausages, add a splash of olive oil. Add the zucchini and cook, turning frequently, until evenly browned and just barely tender. Season with salt and a very generous amount of black pepper, a tablespoon or two.

Cut the sausages into 1/4-inch rounds, add them to the pan with the zucchini and toss together. Remove from the heat and set aside until the polenta is cooked.

As the cooked polenta rests, return the zucchini and sausage to high heat and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, turning frequently, until heated through.

Spoon the sausage and zucchini over the polenta and serve immediately, with the cheese and a grater passed alongside.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Michele Anna Jordan in The Press Democrat, August 27, 2008