A great dish for a cold winter day: warming and comforting. And quick to prepare! It can be also done in a vegetarian version, by simply excluding the sausages from the recipe.

This is not the usual Italian polenta made with maize flour, which requires a long cooking time and loads of elbow grease… It is a runny polenta made with durum wheat semolina flour, and the advantage is that it cooks in just 10 -15 minutes (depending on the coarseness of the grains). The taste is also different from that of the classical maize flour polenta, but all the same it is very, very good and much lighter. For this recipe, we prefer fine or medium grain semolina flour, and the polenta, when cooked, should not be too dry; on the contrary, it should be a bit runny - let’s say the consistency of yoghourt.

The pork sausages for this recipe would preferably be of the kind briefly cured in the air and then preserved under lard or olive oil. But if you cannot find those in your Italian grocery shop, use regular pork sausages – the result will be equally good.

Peel and chop the onion medium-fine. Grate the parmesan cheese and set aside. Take the skin off the sausages and break them down with a fork. Place the tinned tomatoes in a bowl, and break them up with a fork.

Place the chopped onion in a sauce pan with the olive oil. Fry very gently for about 10-15 minutes, until the onion is translucent and soft. (If it risks burning, add a little water). Now add the tinned tomatoes and the broken up sausages. Cook gently for 20-30 minutes. The sauce has to remain a bit liquid, and should not overcook. When ready, cover and keep warm.

In a separate pan, put 1½ litres / 2½ pints of water with a little salt in it. When the water boils, pour in the semolina flour, sprinkling it while mixing continuously, so that it doesn’t form lumps. Cook for about 10-15 minutes mixing often to prevent sticking, until the polenta reaches a creamy consistency. Make sure it does not become too dry; if needed, add a little additional boiling water. Place the polenta in large bowls, pour two or three spoonfuls of sauce over each serving and sprinkle with abundant grated parmesan. Serve at once!