Sausage and Greens with Polenta
Serves 2 | Prep 10 mins | Cook 25 min
Take a break from mash and serve polenta instead. Some people naturally have an aversion to polenta because of it’s texture. Some people prefer the hard wedged grilled style, and for others it is this creamy mash-like version. Fresh spring greens flash fried in a cider vinegar make a good match for the creamy polenta and Italian herby, sweet sausage. I couldn’t possibly have anything less than two vegetables on my dinner plate, so I serve this meal with an Italian staple vegetable, the zucchini / courgettes, and carrots that have been steamed.
POLENTA Traditionally, a peasant food from Northern Italy. Nowadays is served over the globe at breakfast, lunch, or dinner due to its versatility. Carotenoids from milled corn produce is easier to digest than those which lie in carrots and spinach. Carotenoids are fat soluble, and therefore easier to digest when eaten with some fats. (SOURCE) . The beta-carotene within polenta could be a useful aid with heart disease and cancer prevention.
SPRING GREENS“Underrated & not eaten enough. Spring greens are delicious. I flash fry them usually in a little sesame oil and finish with a dash of soy . Simple. 1 cup (about 190g) of spring greens can provide 70% of your vitamin A and 20% vitamin C intake. Also a great source of iron, calcium, vitamin K, vitamin E. Being full of fibre and low in calories, spring greens also make a wonderful detox aid. (SOURCE)
Ingredients.
400g Italian Sausage (or a Sicilian style from your supermarket), removed from casings and each sausage made into 3 balls.
2 heads spring greens, thoroughly washed, drained, root removed and shredded roughly.
2 salad onions, sliced
1 tsp cider vinegar
100g polenta
75g emmental (OPTIONAL)
Method.
Preheat your oven to 180c / 160c (fan) / Gas Mark 4
- Begin to fry your sausage balls in a frying pan until they have browned, 8-10 mins. Remove with a slotted spoon into a baking dish (you will use the oil left in the pan to fry the greens later), transferring the sausage into the oven to keep warm.
- Add 400ml boiling water to a non-stick saucepan and gradually add the polenta. Keep the saucepan over a medium heat. The polenta will begin to thicken. Once it reaches boiling point, reduce to a slow simmer. If it starts to get to thick add some more hot water to thin it out. I serve mine with a consistency of a thin mash.
- Put the heat back on the pan with the sausage cooking oil.
- Add the cider vinegar and spring onions to the frying pan for a couple of minutes.
- Add the spring greens and fry for 3-5 minutes.
- Check the polenta’s consistency (stir in emmental if using), add seasoning to your taste and serve.
- Plate up the greens along side the polenta and scatter your sausage balls on top.
