Polenta baked with Italian Sausage and Cheese

There’s something about comfort food that strikes a chord in all of us. And, quite honestly, who hasn’t experienced a food memory?   It’s that sense of easy satisfaction from being warm, feeling full from a meal and the surroundings from which it was made.  Comfort food invokes feelings of nostalgia and of food that reminds us of simpler times and this recipe certainly does it for me.

Taleggio cheese has been used before the 10th century in the caves of Val Taleggio and it might easily be one of the oldest soft cheeses.  The texture of the cheese is moist-to-oozy with a melt-in-your-mouth sensation. Taleggio’s soft texture, pungent aroma, and buttery flavors makes it a very addictive cheese especially when spread on fresh crusty bread.  Taleggio pairs nicely with Italian Nebbiolo wines.

Serves 6
recipe from TasteItalia
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300g traditional or quick-cook polenta
500g fresh Italian sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
150ml vegetable or meat stock
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and sage, mixed together
350g Taleggio cheese, chopped 
150g Parmesan cheese, grated
a few knobs of unsalted butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the polenta, bring 1 litre of salted water to a boil in a large saucepan, then slowly sprinkle in the polenta through your fingers, whisking all the time to prevent lumps. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 45 minutes over low heat (quick-cook polenta will take less time). Once polenta is cooked, remove from the pan and place on a wooden board. Shape into a mound and leave to cool.

Slice sausages very thickly. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the sausages and fry until browned on all sides. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until soft. Add the stock and half the chopped herbs, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 180c (350f). Cut the polenta into 1.5cm slices. Butter a shallow ovenproof dish, then arrange a layer of polenta on the bottom. Add half the sausage mixture, half the Taleggio and half the Parmesan, in layers. Cover with another layer of polenta , then add layers of the remaining sausage mixture, Taleggio and Parmesan. Dot with a few knobs of butter, then sprinkle with remaining herbs. Bake in the oven for around 40 minutes or until brown and bubbling. Serve warm.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Oh my!  The aromas coming from this dish immediately made my mind wander to a local Italian taverna and as my husband and I ate this, we did feel as though we had temporarily slipped back to Italy (sigh!).  The earthy tones from the herbs and aromatics from the cheeses all helped to make this dish excite all my senses.