Q.E.D.: Kale, Sausage, and Mushrooms Over Rosemary Polenta

You remember my affinity for kale and sausage.

I was thinking about polenta the other day and I decided it would taste great with some kale and sausage on top of it. I was not wrong.

Notes: "Polenta" is the Italian word for cooked cornmeal. If you like grits (and you should), you'll like polenta.

If I had to do it over, I think I would finely chop some spinach, saute the mushrooms, and just stir it all into the polenta, but this is crazy good.

You can bake, fry, or grill leftover polenta. I had some leftover and I'm going to try baking it, so I'll let you know how it turns out.

Want a vegetarian version? Leave out the sausage. You can make it as is or add some more mushrooms.

Ingredients:
1 lb kielbasa
1 large or 2 medium bunches of kale, cleaned and stemmed
2 pints shitake mushrooms
1 quart water or stock
1 cup cornmeal
3 tablespoons butter
1 small bunch fresh rosemary
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

In a large sauce pan or stock pot, bring water or stock to a boil.

While you're waiting for it to boil, clean and slice the mushrooms and slice the sausage. Chop the kale into bite-sized pieces. Mince the rosemary.

Heat a large skillet on medium high. Add in the sausage and cook for a few minutes until it gives off a little fat. Add the mushrooms and cook a few more minutes. Add in half the minced rosemary. Add in the kale and saute until the kale is dark green and tender.

When the water or stock is boiling, whisk in the cornmeal and turn the heat back to medium-low. Whisk frequently until the mixture is thickened (the consistency of grits or oatmeal). Add in the other half of the rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the butter.

To serve, spoon polenta into the bottom of a wide-mouthed bowl and top with kale mixture. Enjoy!