Quick Polenta with Sausages & Tomato

📝 Ingredients

• 180 g instant polenta
• 1 chicken stock cube + 600 ml hot water
• 150 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 30 g grated Parmesan
• 6 chicken chipolatas (about 60 g each)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion (about 120 g) + 1 garlic clove
• 1 courgette (about 200 g)
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400 g)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large frying pan
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon
• Chopping board

📖 Steps

1. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Wash the courgette and cut it into 1 cm dice. Cut the chipolatas into 3 cm pieces: it's easier when they've just come out of the fridge.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Brown the sausage pieces for 6 to 7 min, turning them, until well coloured on all sides. Set aside on a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
3. In the same pan, fry the onion and courgette for 5 min over a medium heat, stirring, until the onion is translucent and the courgette lightly golden. Add the garlic and oregano and stir for 30 s.
4. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, season lightly with salt, add pepper and return the sausages to the pan. Simmer uncovered for 10 min over a low heat, stirring from time to time, until the sauce thickens and the sausages are no longer pink in the middle.
5. Meanwhile, crumble the stock cube into the hot water, pour into a saucepan with the milk and bring to the boil. Lower to a gentle heat and pour in the polenta in a steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.
6. Cook for 1 to 3 min according to the packet, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the polenta thickens like a creamy mash. Watch out for splatters: it bubbles hard, so keep the heat low and protect your hand with a tea towel.
7. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan and season with pepper. If the polenta is too thick, add a splash of hot water: it should stay soft, as it firms up very quickly as it cools.
8. Immediately divide the polenta between 3 shallow bowls, make a well in the centre with the back of a spoon and spoon in the sausages in tomato sauce. Serve piping hot.