GRILLED POLENTA WITH SAUSAGES AND PEPPERS
serves 3-4 back to home
This is in the quick and easy department. When the kitchen is hot it’s time to think of outside grilling and you can do all 3 parts of this simple fair on the grill. You can either make veggie kabobs or use a grill basket for the peppers and onions. Make sure your grill is well oiled for the polenta discs. You can certainly do all of this on the stove top- when cooking the polenta it’s best to use a non stick pan.
1 log, 24 ounces, prepared corn polenta, plain or flavored*
4 -6 Italian sausages
1 yellow bell pepper- medium dice
1 red bell pepper- medium dice
1 cup sweet onion -medium dice
fresh basil
olive oil
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
store bought marinara sauce- about 1/3 cup per person
Prepare the grill- making sure the grill top is clean. When spreading out the coals leave part of the grill free from heat so you can scoot the sausages over when cooking the polenta and veggies
Cut the polenta log into about 1/2” or a little thicker disc and brush both sides with olive oil.
Mix the peppers and onions together and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Either thread them on to skewers or have them ready to go into a grill basket.
The sausages take the longest -so start grilling them first. You want the coals(or gas) medium high heat.** Grill the sausages turning them often to get them nice and brown. Total cooking time depending on their size and the grill heat is about 10-12 minutes. Scoot them over to a less heat intensive part of the grill when nicely browned- about halfway through their cooking.
Put the veggie skewers or basket on the hottest part of the grill and cook the veggies - turning or stirring- They should only take 5-6 minutes. I like them to still have some crunch.
When the veggies are going you can start cooking the polenta discs- they take about 3-4 minutes per side- turning once.
To plate the food
Have the marinara sauce either warmed on the stove or heat it in the microwave at the last minute. Have individual dipping cups ready.
Slice the sausages- about 1 inch discs. Place 2-3 polenta discs each plate. Divide the sausages and peppers evenly and scatter on the plates. Tear some bits of sweet basil over it all- and serve the marinara sauce on the side to dip the sausages in.
I like Melissa’s Organic Polenta.
It can usually be found in the
refrigerated section in the
produce department in upscale
markets
**Here is the time-honored fire and hand test:
Place your hand a couple inches above the cooking grate and count the number of seconds until the heat of the fire forces you to pull away:
1-2 seconds= hot
3 seconds= medium high
4-5 seconds= moderate
