Polenta Rounds with Sausage Ragout

The Musselshell froze in the slow stretches. Three days of farrier work. Two ranches in the county. Eleven horses. The body is tired in the right way.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods. Tuesday meeting in Roundup. Eight regulars. Three vets. I do not lead. I show up.

Chuck roast in the dutch oven. Same as last week. Some weeks are repeat weeks. The kitchen does not mind.

Cattle were good. Horses were good. The week was the week.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

The chuck roast went in the dutch oven same as the week before, but when it came to writing up a recipe, I kept coming back to this one — polenta rounds with sausage ragout — because it lives in the same category: something you make without thinking too hard about it, something that is hot and filling when the body is tired in the right way. Eleven horses in three days, a heifer cleared of a corn cob, a cord of wood that still needs splitting — some weeks just need a plate of food that does not ask anything of you. This is that plate.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling) | Servings: 6

Ingredients

For the polenta rounds:
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup coarse-ground polenta or yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp olive oil (for pan-frying rounds)
For the sausage ragout:
1 lb mild Italian pork sausage, casings removed
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Make the polenta. Bring 4 cups of chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in the polenta and salt, reducing heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, for 20–25 minutes until thick and pulling away from the sides of the pan.
Finish and set the polenta. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and Parmesan until fully incorporated. Pour the polenta into a lightly oiled 9x13-inch baking dish, spreading it evenly to about 3/4-inch thickness. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour until firm.
Build the ragout. While the polenta chills, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, for 6–8 minutes until browned. Drain all but 1 tbsp of fat from the pan.
Add aromatics. Add the diced onion to the skillet with the sausage and cook over medium heat for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook another 60 seconds, stirring constantly.
Simmer the sauce. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir in the oregano and basil. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ragout has thickened. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Keep warm over low heat.
Cut and pan-fry the rounds. Remove the chilled polenta from the refrigerator. Using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter or a wide-mouth jar lid, cut out as many rounds as possible. Heat olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the rounds for 3–4 minutes per side until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Plate and serve. Arrange 2–3 polenta rounds on each plate or a wide serving platter. Spoon the sausage ragout generously over the top. Finish with a scatter of fresh parsley and additional Parmesan if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Polenta Rounds with Sausage Ragout — When the Week Calls for Something That Sticks