Luganega e polenta (Sausages & polenta)
 Venezia
Tessa Kiros
Who could not love her previous books Apples for Jam, Falling Cloudberries and Postcards from Portugal, Twelve these are the most beautifully designed books (the designer lives not far from our store!). Kiros captures the essence of where she writes. This latest offering is even more sumptuous in design, photographs, and of courses recipes. A treat for those who love Venice but also those who love food and dreams! Hardcover, 288 pp. $55.95. UK Import.
This is a simple & rich dish; the kind of thing you won't see on restaurant menus but that Venetians would make at home to eat in front of a wintery fire. Use good pork sausages, & I like to use a mixture of lardo & pancetta here. Lardo is rather a precious thing - 'lardo di colonnato' is a traditional Tuscan delicacy of cured pork fat & it is prized all over Italy.
When sliced very thinly, the majority of the slice is pork fat with just a tiny piece of prosciutto-type meat. Pancetta is very well cured pork, much drier & with much more meat than lardo. Together they are a great combination. You'll need about 3 thin slices of lardo & 4 of pancetta. I use white wine here but red is also good. Serve this rich dish with polenta & perhaps a nice plate of radicchio.
about 60g (2 1/4 oz) thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
about 60g (2 1/4 oz) thinly sliced lardo, chopped
6 good pork sausages (luganege)
(about 650g / 1 lb 7 oz ), pricked all over
1 small onion, sliced
250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) white wine
polenta and grated parmesan to serve
Saute the pancetta & lardo in a dry frying pan over heat until some of the oil seeps out, then add the sausages. Cook the sausages until getting slightly golden in places. Remove the pancetta & lardo to side plate so it won't become too crisp & add the onion to the pan. Cook until your onion is golden & soft (your sausages might not yet look lovely & brown but they will have more time in the pan later).
Return the pancetta & lardo to the pan & fry for a few minutes until everything is nicely melded together. Add the wine & simmer fro 30 minutes, turning the sausages over once until they are golden on the bottom, the wine has evaporated & things once again look as if they are frying in the oil. If you won't be serving immediately, cover with a lid. Serve a sausage & some of the sauce & rich oil over a serving of polenta. Scatter with parmesan.
Serves 6
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