Italian sausages with polenta

The Italians use polenta in a similar way to we use mashed potato, so this classic dish is really a Southern Italian take on sausage and mash.

For 4 servings, you will need:

• 8 Italian sausages, or if you can't find any, use some other good quality fresh sausages
• One large onion, finely sliced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• A little extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 carrots, diced
• A couple of sticks of celery, finely chopped
• One leek, finely chopped
• A small glass of red wine
• 150ml of stock (chicken or vegetable)
• 400g of borlotti beans
• One or two red chillis, if you want it spicy
• A handful of fresh tarragon or thyme
• Salt and pepper

For the polenta:

• A litre of stock or water
• 200g of polenta
• A pinch of salt
• A knob of butter
• About 100g of parmesan

This will take about half and hour to prepare, and then almost no time to eat with a nice glass of red!

1. Take a large, deep pan and heat the oil. Then add the sausages, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, chilli and leeks, cooking for about 5 minutes to brown
2. Add the wine, stock and herbs, then bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes until the sausages are cooked and the vegetables are softened
3. Drain and add the borlotti beans, then cook for another 3-4 minutes
4. Meanwhile, to make the polenta, take a large pot and add the water or stock, with a pinch of salt
5. Bring the liquid to the boil and then slowly add the polenta, stirring all the time. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the polenta is very thick, but make sure it doesn't stick to the pan
6. Stir the butter and parmesan into the polenta, and season with salt and pepper

To serve, divide the polenta between four warm plates, and then spoon the sausages and sauce over the top.