Polenta Cakes with Sausage Sauce

Inspiration: worst cooks in America
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Serves: 4

Description: I altered this recipe significantly from the original dish. I have never been good at making polenta and don't have the right equipment to make my own sausage. So...this dish became weeknight friendly and was super yummy. A+ Anne Burrell!



Ingredients:
1 package of favorite Italian sausage (sweet, spicy, etc)
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
1/2 fennel bulb, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 garlic clove
Kosher salt
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
olive oil
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups tomato puree
2 packages of pre-made polenta (comes in tubes) j
Grated Parmigiano


 Directions:
1. In a food processor, puree the onions, fennel, celery, and garlic until it becomes a coarse paste. Season with salt and give a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.

2. Saute sausage in a large skillet until browned. Remove and set aside.

3. Add the pureed veggies to the large skillet. Cook the veggies until they start to brown, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add the white wine and reduce by half.
6. Toss in the cooked sausage and the tomato puree.
7. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.

8. Remove the polenta from the packaging and cut in disks.
9.  Coat a nonstick saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat.
10. Once the pan is hot and starting to smoke just a little, add the polenta shapes. Cook the polenta on both sides and finish by sprinkling with the Parmigiano.

11. Transfer a few polenta cakes to a plate and top with the sausage sauce.
12. Sprinkle with more grated Parmigiano.