Pork & Fennel Sausage Ragu with Cheesy Polenta
Slow-cooked comfort food doesn’t need to be complicated. This rich pork and fennel sausage ragu is one of those wonderfully low-fuss dishes that fills the house with incredible smells while doing most of the work itself.
Served over creamy cheesy polenta, it’s deeply comforting, generously rustic, and perfect for a lazy weekend dinner with a good bottle of red.
The secret is using quality pork and fennel sausages - or as we call them - Mild Continental. They bring plenty of flavour without needing a long list of ingredients or complicated techniques. Also important is choosing good quality Italian tomatoes. Mutti or Annalisa are both terrific brands and are readily available at Tonna’s, Blake Family Grocers and the larger supermarkets.
Pork Ragu
6-7 pork and fennel sausages (about 750g)
2 carrots, diced
1 large brown onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3–4 garlic cloves, finely crushed
1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly toasted and crushed
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups chicken stock
400g can Italian cherry tomatoes
2 bay leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Quality salt flakes and cracked black pepper
Cheesy Polenta
500ml full cream milk
500ml chicken stock
250g instant polenta
60g butter, diced
90g parmesan, finely grated
Salt, to taste
To Serve
Parmesan shavings
Finely grated lemon zest
Flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
Remove the sausage meat from the casings by snipping the ends and squeezing the filling into a bowl.
Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat and cook for 8–10 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it browns.
Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic and fennel seeds. Cook for a further 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are deeply golden.
Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to lift all the caramelised bits. Simmer until the wine has mostly reduced.
Add the cherry tomatoes, chicken stock and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to low, cover loosely and simmer gently for around 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until rich and thickened. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, make the cheesy polenta.
Place the milk and chicken stock into a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer.Slowly pour in the polenta while whisking continuously to prevent lumps forming. Reduce the heat to low and cook for around 35–40 minutes, stirring regularly, until thick and creamy.
Stir through the butter and parmesan until glossy and smooth. Taste and season if needed.
To serve, spoon the cheesy polenta into warm bowls and top generously with the pork ragu. Finish with parmesan shavings, a little lemon zest and chopped parsley.
Best enjoyed with a big glass of red wine and absolutely no plans afterwards. Scroll down for a printed version.
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Our most popular snag! A sweet flavoured classic Italian style sausage with our coarsely minced free-range pork and a dash of white wine and fennel to create a well-balanced flavour.
Approximate weight 100g per sausage
Pork & Fennel Sausage Ragu with Cheesy Polenta
Slow-cooked comfort food doesn’t need to be complicated. This rich pork and fennel sausage ragu is one of those wonderfully low-fuss dishes that fills the house with incredible smells while doing most of the work itself.
Served over creamy cheesy polenta, it’s deeply comforting, generously rustic, and perfect for a lazy weekend dinner with a good bottle of red.
The secret is using quality pork and fennel sausages - or as we call them - Mild Continental. They bring plenty of flavour without needing a long list of ingredients or complicated techniques. Also important is choosing good quality Italian tomatoes. Mutti or Annalisa are both terrific brands and are readily available at Tonna’s, Blake Family Grocers and the larger supermarkets.
Ingredients
Method
- Remove the sausage meat from the casings by snipping the ends and squeezing the filling into a bowl.
- Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat and cook for 8–10 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it browns.
- Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic and fennel seeds. Cook for a further 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are deeply golden.
- Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to lift all the caramelised bits. Simmer until the wine has mostly reduced.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, chicken stock and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to low, cover loosely and simmer gently for around 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until rich and thickened. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, make the cheesy polenta.
- Place the milk and chicken stock into a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Slowly pour in the polenta while whisking continuously to prevent lumps forming. Reduce the heat to low and cook for around 35–40 minutes, stirring regularly, until thick and creamy.
- Stir through the butter and parmesan until glossy and smooth. Taste and season if needed.
- To serve, spoon the cheesy polenta into warm bowls and top generously with the pork ragu. Finish with parmesan shavings, a little lemon zest and chopped parsley.
- Best enjoyed with a big glass of red wine and absolutely no plans afterwards.
