POLENTA

Prologue: I saw some POLENTA at the store and asked myself, 'WTF is that'? Turns out it's some kind of once-digested corn meal. 'Once-digested corn meal,' I continued to myself, 'sounds remarkable'. Intrigued, I elected to cook something with this magical POLENTA. I went hence to EPICURIOUS.COM, a internet posting wall devoted to puns and recipes. What follows is a minor variation on the recipe found there. I recommend the recipe to those who want Italian sumptuousness without those heavy carbs. Am I right, ladies?!?!

Recipe:

2 pounds precooked polenta (in a tube), cut into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) rounds

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1/2 pound mixed sliced fresh wild mushrooms
1/2 cup dry red wine (substitute: port you stole from your roommates)
1 1/2 cups bottled marinara sauce (I used an arrabiata, which worked well)

Preheat broiler.

Broil polenta rounds on a lightly oiled large heavy baking sheet 3 to 4 inches from heat until lightly browned in spots, about 9 minutes. Turn rounds over and sprinkle with cheese, then broil until polenta is golden in spots and cheese is melted, about 8 minutes more.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until it shimmers, then cook sausage, breaking up lumps, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and boil, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Stir in sausage and tomato sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Serve ragout spooned over polenta.