Polenta and Italian sausages

So the New York Times Dining section left an impression, from a very basic dish of polenta and sausages. Tried it tonight and it's a keeper.

Italian Sausage and polenta/ NY Times

I have used regular cornmeal for polenta before, but this time I used Red Mill coarse ground corn grits/polenta. Cooking time = 30 minutes.

While that was cooking, I browned and cooked through some sweet Italian sausage, cut in chunks. I cooked two links, only half a pound and used chowed on not even one sausage, didn't need more because it flavored everything. And put a large thinly sliced onion in a pan to caramelize.

Also added in Marcella Hazan's cabbage recipe, long and slowly cooked thinly slice cabbage that yielded such a sweet flavor.

End result was very deep and flavorful and creamy polenta, topped with the caramelized onions, the crisp sausage with a side of sweet and braised cabbage.

Peasant food, to be sure. The whole meal, which was enough for at least six, cost maybe $4. An inexpensive but good red wine rounded out the meal.

But price doesn't always count, does it, when it comes to comfort food on a cold winter night?