Creamy Polenta with Braised Italian Sausage & Peppers

Ingredients

• 6 Italian fennel sausages (about 500g)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 125ml dry white wine
• 400g canned crushed tomatoes
• 1L chicken or vegetable stock
• 220g coarse polenta (not instant)
• 60g unsalted butter
• 60g grated Parmesan
• Salt and black pepper

Before you cook

• Slice the onion and peppers into thin strips.
• Slice the garlic thinly.
• Prick each sausage two or three times with a fork.

Steps

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium-high heat.
2. Brown the sausages on all sides for 6 minutes, then lift them onto a plate.
3. Add the onion and peppers to the fat left in the pan and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
4. Stir in the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute.
5. Pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the base of the pan.
6. Simmer the wine for 2 minutes until it reduces by half.
7. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and return the sausages to the pan, nestling them into the sauce.
8. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, turning the sausages once halfway through.
9. Bring the stock to a boil in a separate large pot.
10. Season the stock with 1 teaspoon of salt, then pour in the polenta in a slow, steady stream while whisking constantly.
11. Turn the heat down to low and switch to a wooden spoon, stirring every couple of minutes to stop it catching.
12. Cook the polenta for 25 minutes, until it pulls away from the side of the pot and tastes fully cooked, not gritty.
13. Beat the butter and Parmesan into the polenta off the heat.
14. Spoon the polenta into shallow bowls and top with the sausages, peppers and sauce.