Name: Baked Polenta W/italian Sausage Mushrooms and Three Cheese
Ingredients: 1 tb Fruity olive oil; 1 sm Yellow onion; chopped; 2 lg Garlic cloves; minced; 1 md Red sweet pepper cored, seeded & chopped; 1/2 lb Mild Italian sausage with fennel seed & garlic casing removed; 1/2 lb Fresh crimini, button or; Other mushrooms as available trimmed and thinly sliced; 2 1/2 c Milk, broth or water; 3/4 c Yellow cornmeal preferably stone-ground; 1 tb Fresh sage; chopped; 1 tb Fresh Italian parsley chopped; 1/4 ts Ground cayenne pepper; 1 c Skim or whole-milk ricotta; 1/2 c Gruyere or; 1/2 c Other Swiss cheese shredded; Salt and pepper; to taste; 4 tb Melted butter or margarine; 4 tb Grated Parmesan cheese; Fresh Tomato Sauce*; Italian parsley; chopped; Herb sprigs

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Dairy, Meats, Fruits, Grains	Italian	Cheese, Italian, Meats	6	Servings

INGREDIENTS

1	tb	Fruity olive oil
1	sm	Yellow onion; chopped
2	lg	Garlic cloves; minced
1	md	Red sweet pepper cored, seeded & chopped
1/2	lb	Mild Italian sausage with fennel seed & garlic casing removed
1/2	lb	Fresh crimini, button or
		Other mushrooms as available trimmed and thinly sliced
2 1/2	c	Milk, broth or water
3/4	c	Yellow cornmeal preferably stone-ground
1	tb	Fresh sage; chopped
1	tb	Fresh Italian parsley chopped
1/4	ts	Ground cayenne pepper
1	c	Skim or whole-milk ricotta
1/2	c	Gruyere or
1/2	c	Other Swiss cheese shredded
		Salt and pepper; to taste
4	tb	Melted butter or margarine
4	tb	Grated Parmesan cheese
		Fresh Tomato Sauce*
		Italian parsley; chopped
		Herb sprigs

INSTRUCTIONS

GARNISHES
*Fresh Tomato Sauce recipe posted separately.
Hill and Barclay write: "This is our idea of comfort food!  Bland cornmeal
needs a real shot of flavor, so don't hold back on the herbs."
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet; saute onion, garlic and sweet pepper
until hot through.  Add crumbled sausage and continue cooking just until
meat changes color.  Stir in mushrooms and cook until hot through. Drain
excess fat and set mixture aside.
Place milk or other liquid in a large, heavy saucepan over moderately high
heat; slowly add cornmeal, stirring briskly with a wire whisk to prevent
lumping.  Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes, or until mixture is very
thick and smooth; stir constantly to prevent scorching.
Remove pan from heat and stir in herbs, cayenne pepper, and ricotta and
gruyere cheeses.   Add sausage and sweet pepper mixture, combine well, then
season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour mixture into two 9" pie plates lined with plastic wrap.  Cool on a
wire rack, then cover and refrigerate at least an hour, or as long as three
days.
When ready to serve dish, preheat oven to 375 F.  Cut polenta in wedges and
place on an oiled shallow baking pan large enough to hold polenta in one
layer without crowding.  Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with
Parmesan.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until polenta is lightly browned and
very hot when tested with a small knife in center of wedge. Serve with
Fresh Tomato Sauce.  Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and sprigs of
herbs.
From Madalene Hill and Gwen Barclay's "Sage through the Ages" article in
"The Herb Companion."  Dec. 1993/Jan. 1994, Vol. 6, No. 2. Pg. 32. Posted
by Cathy Harned.
File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/mmdjaxxx.zip

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