"Pol-cakes" with Homemade Italian Sausage and Hot Thyme Honey
Pancake-sized polenta cakes topped with honey infused with hot peppers and thyme, served with homemade Italian-inspired chicken sausage.
Ingredients
For the Polenta Cakes and honey
- leftover polenta chilled flat on sheet tray
- 1 cup honey
- 1/4-1 tsp cayenne pepper (you can also use 1-4 dried hot chili peppers of your choice) to taste
- 2-3 sprigs thyme fresh
For Sausage
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken meat (breast/thigh) cubed
- 1-2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 c pine nuts toasted
- 4 oz sun-dried tomato chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp mushroom stock
Instructions
- Prepare honey: place honey, cayenne, and thyme into small saucepan. Heat until just under boiling. Pour into heat-safe container and let cook. Cover and let sit for at least 24 hours - the longer the better.
- Using round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut polenta into pancake-shaped pieces.
- Place on hot griddle (well-oiled), cook until browned. Flip and repeat.
- Using meat grinder, grind meat, and sun-dried tomatoes. Place into bowl. Add garlic powder, pine nuts, mushroom stock, olive oil, and salt. Mix with hands until incorporated. Chill for at least 30 minutes in regrigerator.
- Soak salted casings in warm water. Using sausage stuffing attachment, stuff chicken mixture into casing. Once stuffed, create links by twisting sausage at regular intervals. Dry sausage links for 1-2 hours, making sure to pop any visible air bubbles. Chill sausages overnight, on top of dry paper towels.
- To cook sausage: boil links (attached) until just under-done. Transfer to hot sauté pan, and finish cooking while browning the skin. Serve warm.