Want something truly different for dinner on Christmas or on any cold winter evening? Try creamy cornmeal polenta served with wild mushrooms and blood sausage. Both of these two rich brown lovelies make a delicious accompaniment. Now, if you you are not sure where to get blood sausage (in the Midwest, eastern European deli counters are your best bet) then just use your favorite polish sausage or even bratwurst will do.
As you may suppose, blood sausage is made with blood and along with diced meat plus fillers like cornmeal or barley. You may ask, why would anyone want to eat barley and blood mixed together and put into a casing? Well, the answer its simple food; and, that means its a fast and frugal dinner that is filling and very tasty. Most people don't know that you can eat almost every part of an animal for food. At least, folks did for many years as a means of being frugal.
You may even be surprised to know that blood sausage is made and eaten worldwide... meaning everybody has a version of it. In Kenya, fillers include fresh minced goat or beef, fat, and red onions.
You will need olive oil, one onion, yellow cornmeal, chicken stock, Parmesan and butter.
Polenta -
2 tbs of olive oil
one whole onion chopped
2-4 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
4 tbs of butter or 1/2 stick
Heat oven to 350F. On the stove, saute your onion in the olive oil in a deep oven safe pot until browned on all edges; then, add your stock (2 cups thicker) and 5 cups of water. Heat to boiling on high and slowly whisk in the cornmeal. Then cover and bake for 45-50 min.with an occasional stir - about every 10 min. Remove from the oven, add the butter and Parmesan for one last stir, then let it set covered.
*Pan fry the mushrooms on the side in olive oil and butter. The blood sausage should also be pan fried in the same skillet separate or with the mushrooms; this can be done ahead of time and kept warm while you make the polenta.
~ Tutti a Tavola!
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