Polenta with Wild Mushroom Ragout Recipe HEALTHY RECIPES This recipe serves: 4 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Ingredients 1/4 teaspoon finely chopped garlic 1 cup skim milk 1 bay leaf cayenne pepper to taste 1/4 cup cornmeal 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/8 teaspoon salt For the wild mushroom ragout: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped shallots 2 cups sliced wild mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, chanterelles) 8 plum tomatoes, quartered and skinned 1 sprig fresh tarragon, or 1/4 teaspoon dried 1/8 teaspoon salt Cooking Instructions For the polenta: 1. Heat the olive oil in a pot over low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, keeping the heat low so the garlic doesn't burn. 2. Add the milk, bay leaf and cayenne pepper. Increase the heat and bring the milk to a boil. 3. Pour the cornmeal into the hot milk slowly, whisking constantly. After all the cornmeal has been added, cook 3 to 4 minutes more, stirring constantly. 4. Remove the pot from the heat and slowly stir in the grated cheese. 5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. For the wild mushroom ragout: 1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. 2. Turn the heat to medium-high, add the mushrooms and sauté 2 minutes more. 3. Add the tomatoes, tarragon, salt and pepper. Heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. If using canned tomatoes, simmer for 30 minutes to reduce the acidic taste. 4. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. 5. To serve, place a portion of polenta on a warm plate and spoon on the mushroom ragout. TAKE OUT BAY LEAF BEFORE adding anything else/or whisking milk so that you can remove it whole & don't have little pieces! Just a hint!! Nutrition Facts Serving size: about 1 cup Calories 404 Total Fat 12 g Saturated Fat 2 g Protein 20 g Total Carbohydrate 57 g Dietary Fiber 17 g Sodium 335 mg Percent Calories from Fat 25% Percent Calories from Protein 20% Percent Calories from Carbohydrate 55%

It was so good. The sausage mellowed out a lot! I had a couple of changes, I used regular stewed tomatoes and omitted the beans so it was meat and veggie based. I also used frozen spinach oh, and I used a carton of broth instead of canned. Minor stuff. Our guests requested a doggie bag for the soup! Sorry I can't remember where I got the recipe from. 1 pound Italian sausage 1 clove garlic, minced 2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes 1 cup sliced carrots 1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained 2 small zucchini, cubed 2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and torn 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt Directions In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender. Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes

Dandyrandylou, you can even buy already prepared breakfast sausage spice mixes. None of the breakfast sausages at the store are worth eating anymore imo. For me, making them myself is the only option I have left. And they are so easy to make, no fussing with casings. Hey gardengirl, Miss 87 gazillion comments, do you make mash with your bangers? Do you like spotted dick? Which makes me think of blood sausage, which makes me think of tapas, which is making me very hungry, or should I say hangry, because I don't have any blood sausage topped tapas on hand. ;) My parents would eat blood sausage, and it grossed me out, so I never tried it, but but after having it on tapas a whole new world opened up. Yummy yum yum!

lizbeth, here's the recipe...very tweakable. I sometimes use Trader Joe's 'Organic Marinara Sauce' as a sub for the tomato sauce and canned tomatoes. It's a good base and not overly sweet. You can use whatever sauce ingredients you like best for lasagna, but I recommend trying the filling. Lasagna Imbottite Sauce (Note: Best made a day or 2 ahead): 2 T. olive 1 small onion, chopped 2 large cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 1/2 tsp. dried basil 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 lb. sweet or hot Italian sausage 1 28-oz. can tomato sauce 1 14 1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained 1/3 to 1/2 cup red wine (optional) 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley Salt and pepper, to taste Heat the oil in a large sauce pan. Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and basil; saute for another minute. Add the meat and cook until browned, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper. Add both cans of tomatoes, rinsing out with the wine, if using). Add the parsley and bring to a low boil. Cover, reduce heat to very low, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning adding more salt/pepper, if needed. Remove from heat and cool to room temp. Cover and put in fridge if making in advance. Filling: 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced 1/4 cup butter 1 pint ricotta cheese 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry (a potato ricer works great for squeezing out liquid) Salt and pepper, to taste Pinch of nutmeg 1 lb. Mozzarella cheese, sliced thin 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Lasagna noodles of choice Fry the mushrooms in the butter; season with salt and pepper. Mix mushrooms and their juices with the ricotta. Mix in spinach, Parmesan, salt and nutmeg. Taste for seasoning, and mix in eggs. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 X 13 pan and cover with about 1/2 cup sauce. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spread lasagna with a thin layer of filling, top with a layer of mozzarella followed by Parmesan. Repeat until the lasagna is gone, ending with layer of sauce and a heavy sprinkling of Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, for about 50 minutes, or until bubbling. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.