Recipe - Baked Polenta Witalian Sausage Mushrooms And Three Cheese

1 tablespoon Fruity olive oil
1 small Yellow onion; chopped
2 lg Garlic cloves; minced
1 md Red sweet pepper
cored, seeded & chopped
One half pound Mild Italian sausage
with fennel seed & garlic
casing removed
One half pound Fresh crimini, button or
Other mushrooms as available
trimmed and thinly cut or sliced up
2 One half cup Milk, broth or water
Three fourths cup Yellow cornmeal
preferably stoneground
1 tablespoon Fresh sage; chopped
1 tablespoon Fresh Italian parsley
chopped
One fourth teaspoon Ground cayenne pepper
1 cup Skim or wholemilk ricotta
One half cup Gruyere or
One half cup Other Swiss cheese
shredded
Salt and pepper; to taste
4 tablespoon Melted butter or margarine
4 tablespoon Grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh Tomato Sauce*

GARNISHES
Italian parsley; chopped
Herb sprigs

*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