Mom- grilled cheese with pickles
Grandma- home made tomato sauce
Aunt Marsha- brick cheese toast
(Wow, we really are an Italian-y family!)
But the person who started my love for polenta is my great Aunt Irene. Our side of the family didn't make it, so I tried it once at her house. I LOVED IT. Each time after, she would save a piece of her polenta just for me! Ever since, I've made a dish inspired by hers, usually when its freezing outside, but with her recent passing, I couldn't help but make it in her honor.
To the woman who showed me so much love and a serious appreciation for polenta- to Aunt Irene! <3
Irene's Polenta
olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 box mushrooms, cut the same size at the peppers/ onions
1/2 lb. sausage (meaty or not)
1 jar tomato sauce
1/2 cup wine (totally optional)
seasonings to taste (like Italian seasoning, salt & pepper)
polenta (I buy Quaker cornmeal and follow the package directions for corn meal mush)
In your favorite deep skillet, sauté the onions and garlic in a little oil for a minute. Add the peppers and cook a few more minutes. Pour the peppers and onions into a bowl and set aside.
Add a little more oil to the pan. Sauté the mushrooms until golden brown. Add to the peppers and onions.
Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook it through. Break up the sausage lumps with a spoon while cooking.
Add the tomato sauce, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Gently scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all of the goodness into the sauce. Add the wine. Adjust seasonings as needed.
Turn the burner to medium low and let the sauce simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. (Make the polenta during this time. Follow the package directions and it will turn out perfectly! Stir through a pat of butter at the end.)
Serve the polenta in a pasta bowl topped with the thick, hearty sauce. A good sprinkle of cheese on top is a must! (Or a slice of provolone and then stuck under the broiler.)
Aunt Irene's version used super hard to find wild mushrooms and a homemade tomato sauce, so this isn't her exact recipe. But its a pretty good improvised version, and since that it what we are all about here at The What's On Hand Woman, I call it a win. Woo!
xoxo Sam
