Sardinian Polenta, or Polenta alla Sarda: This is a Sardinian recipe, and ideally should be made with pecorino sardo, Sardinian sheep's milk cheese. If you cannot find pecorino sardo, use pecorino toscano. Romano will be too sharp. The recipe will serve 4:
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- A fairly soft polenta made from 12 ounces (weight, 300 g) fine corn meal (this should
- be about 3 cups volume; see link to instructions below if need be)
- A minced mixture made with 1/4 pound (100 g) fresh lard or the fat of choice, a small onion,
- a few sprigs parsley, a few basil leaves, or some sage
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
- 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) coarsely chopped blanched, peeled and seeded tomatoes
- 6 ounces (150 g) lean pancetta, thinly sliced
- 6 ounces (150 g) crumbled sausage or salami
- 8 ounces (200 g) pecorino sardo, half diced and the other half grated
Preparation:
While you are making the polenta, combine all the other ingredients except the pecorino in a broad deep skillet and sauté them for about 20-25 minutes. When the polenta is cooked stir all the ingredients including the cheese into it, and serve at once. With a tossed salad it will be a nice meal.A wine? Something zesty, for example a Dolcetto di Diano or a Chianti d'annata.
