To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

SERVES:

4-6

INGREDIENTS:

for the polenta:

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
scant 1 cup cornmeal (about halfway between 3/4 and 1 cup is good)
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese to finish

for the sausage stew:

4 links Italian sausage (hot or mild)
1 Tbs olive oil for browning sausage

2 medium red or orange bell peppers, deseeded, quartered and sliced crosswise
1-2 small to medium size onions, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced (equal amount as peppers)

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
approx. one 15-ounce can artichoke hearts, well drained and quartered if whole

sliced pitted kalamata olives as needed for garnish

PROCEDURE:

To make the polenta, bring 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock to a simmer in a deep, heavy bottomed pot on the stovetop and then slowly whisk in a scant 1 cup cornmeal.....and then immediately turn the heat to the lowest setting.

If you have one burner that goes to a lower setting you'll want to put the polenta on that and use a wooden spoon to stir it occasionally as it's softening up.

For the sausage, you want to handle that last and cut 4 links into bite size pieces and then brown it up in a large, nonstick pan in a little olive oil.

Once the sausage has browned all around and cooked most of the way through, take it out of the pan.

Add a little more oil to the pan and add 2 medium size deseeded and thinly sliced colorful bell peppers and an equal amount of thinly sliced onion and cook that to soften.

Cook the onions and peppers along for about 10 minutes and then add 2 large minced cloves of garlic and cook that along for a minute.

Then add as many well drained sliced canned artichokes as you like....add the sausage back to the pan....and cook everything until it's nice and hot and the sausage is cooked all the way through.

After the polenta has been cooking for about 20 minutes and it is soft to the tooth, add 1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, stir that in and it is time to eat.

Serve it up with a sprinkling of sliced, pitted Kalamata olives over the top.

HINTS:

If there is any polenta left over, place it into a small plastic container and chill with plastic wrap on top. Then slice and saute in olive oil for another meal....or simply reheat with a little more broth or water to give it a creamy consistency.