Polenta e salsiccia

The story

Polenta is a base of the cucina povera of northern Italy, the cooking of poor farm households. The method has changed little: cornmeal goes into salted, nearly boiling water in a thin rain, and then it cooks for close to an hour while someone stirs it with a wooden spoon. The traditional pot is the paiolo, made of cast iron or copper; at home, a heavy-bottomed pot does the same job. Its topping depends on the house and the season: porcini sautéed with garlic, baccalà, butter and Parmigiano, or a slow sauce of pork ribs and sausage in tomato. In Valle d'Aosta it becomes polenta concia, mixed with fontina and butter. Leftovers have their own uses. Cold polenta is spread on a board, sliced and grilled, or cut into sticks and fried. Italian cooks still advise against instant polenta for this kind of dish and prefer medium or coarse cornmeal stirred patiently. This version pairs soft polenta with fresh Italian sausage simmered in tomato with onion and bay leaf. Start the polenta once the sauce is simmering so both are ready together, and serve a bitter green salad alongside.