November 16th, 2012
Recipe and Styling by Paula Bowman
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a medium baking dish with olive oil and set aside.
Set a large skillet over medium high heat and add 1-tablespoon olive oil and sausage. Cook, breaking sausage into small pieces with a wooden spoon until cooked through. Transfer to a large bowl and return skillet to medium heat. Add remaining 1-tablespoon olive oil and 1-tablespoon butter to skillet with mushrooms, onions and red pepper flakes and cook until mushrooms are golden brown and onions are softened, about 4 minutes. Add kale and stir for 30 seconds. Add 2-tablespoons water to skillet, cover, stirring occasionally until kale is softened, about 4 minutes. It may be necessary to add 1 to 2-tablespoons more water to skillet, if the pan dries out. Transfer kale mixture to bowl with sausage and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Meanwhile, as mushroom mixture cooks, set a saucepan filled with 5-cups of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Season water generously with salt and freshly ground pepper and add polenta in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in goat cheese, 1/4-cup Parmesan cheese and remaining 1-tablespoon butter and season to taste with more salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed.
Pour half of polenta into prepared baking dish and spread to cover bottom. Spoon two-thirds of mushroom mixture over polenta in an even layer. Spread another layer with remaining polenta, followed by a scattered layer of the remaining mushroom mixture. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/4-cup Parmesan cheese and bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
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