Sausage and fennel
– a perfect pair for winter meals
Last week, after trying a new ingredient that didn’t really
agree with me, this week I wanted to get back to some tried and
true flavors.
In my experience there are some foods that are just meant to go
together
– chocolate syrup and French vanilla ice cream, bread and butter
and garlic and, well, almost anything. But one of my favorite
combinations is sausage and fennel.
Sausage and fennel – a perfect pair for winter meals
Last week, after trying a new ingredient that didn’t really agree with me, this week I wanted to get back to some tried and true flavors.
In my experience there are some foods that are just meant to go together – chocolate syrup and French vanilla ice cream, bread and butter and garlic and, well, almost anything. But one of my favorite combinations is sausage and fennel.
Last weekend before a trip to the grocery store, we perused through a few cookbooks for a few new recipes to try. We had a couple of criteria for the meals – we wanted something with lots of vegetables, something quick for a weeknight, something without quinoa (with which I had my bad experience) and something warm for the coming stormy week.
We also wanted something a little bit healthy. Though sausage and polenta may sound like unhealthy options we made a few changes to a Rachael Ray recipe to make it work for us. We doubled the vegetables, used fat-free milk for the polenta and eliminated the butter completely. The polenta was creamy and just tasty enough with the parmesan cheese, and we had extra of the vegetables to avoid over eating the sausages.
The pairing of sausage and fennel also works well in pasta dishes such as the baked rigatoni below.
Enjoy.
Sausage and fennel ragout with creamy polenta
From Rachael Ray: 365 No Repeats
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. bulk sweet Italian sausage
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 large fennel bulb, cut in half lengthwise, cored, and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp.fresh thyme leaves (4 sprigs, stripped and chopped)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 qt. chicken stock or broth
1 c. milk
3/4 c. dry white wine
1/4 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 c. quick-cooking polenta (found in the baking aisle)
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus some for garnish
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil. Add the sausage, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook until browned, 4-5 minutes. Add the red onions, fennel, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes, or until the veggies wilt and the onions become translucent. While the veggies are cooking, start the polenta.
In a sauce pot combine 2 1/2 cups chicken stock and 1 cup milk. Season the liquid with salt and pepper. Place over medium-high heat and bring up to a simmer.
Once the veggies have wilted, add the white wine and remaining chicken stock to the skillet. Turn the heat to high and bring up to a simmer. Cook to reduce the liquids by half, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley.
To the simmering chicken stock and milk add the polenta and whisk constantly until the cornmeal masses together. Add the butter and grated cheese, stirring to combine. Keep in mind that polenta is very forgiving; if it becomes too thick, you can always add more warm chicken stock or milk.
Serve the polenta in a shallow bowl and top with a helping of the sausage and fennel ragout. Garnish with more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Baked rigatoni with sausage and fennel
Recipe courtesy of allrecipe.com
1 lb. hot Italian sausage links
1 (16 oz) package rigatoni pasta (whole wheat for a healthier meal)
1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce
1 bulb fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. grated Asiago cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes.
Fry the sausages in a large skillet over medium heat, turning frequently until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove from the skillet, cool slightly and slice into rounds. Add the garlic, fennel and onion to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, then add the roasted red peppers, basil, sliced sausage and pasta sauce. Heat through over low heat until warmed.
Combine the pasta with the sauce and vegetables in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Spread the mozzarella, Parmesan and Asiago cheeses over the top. Garnish with a few fennel leaves left from the bulb. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, then remove the aluminum foil. Set the oven to broil, and cook for another 5 minutes or until cheese is browned.
