Ingredients

4 servings

　　

Omit

Black beans

　　Pimientos or roasted peppers

　　

Swap

1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage for the chorizo

　　Pecorino (Italian sheep’s-milk cheese) for the Manchego

　　

Add

Another tablespoon of EVOO

　　1 large fennel bulb, quartered, cored, then thinly sliced

　　1/ 2 cup dry white wine

　　1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg (eyeball it)

　　

Prep Change

Step 1

Thinly slice the onion, rather than chop it.

　　

Step 2

Brown the sausage in the 1 tablespoon of EVOO in a skillet and transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. Place the pan back on the stove. Add another tablespoon of EVOO, the sliced onions, and the fennel. Sauté over moderate heat until tender but not brown. Add the wine to the skillet and add the sausage back. Cook the wine away, a minute or so.

　　

Step 3

Cook the polenta as directed in the master recipe, #209, and stir in the nutmeg when you add the thyme and Pecorino cheese. Top the cooked polenta with sausage and fennel and garnish with chopped parsley.

　　Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats