A friend of mine several months ago showed me a new magazine that had just come out: the Food Network Magazine. It is a FABULOUS magazine that is so great and easy to use – especially for the working mommy! I had just started subscribing this past summer, so I have been in for 3 issues thus far, and have tried a handful of recipes from each of the issues – with amazing results! The best feature of the magazine, besides the recipes, is The Recipe Index, which is a compilation of all the recipes in the issue sorted out by Appetizers and Snacks, Meat Poultry and Eggs, Fish and Seafood, Sides, Desserts etc. So you can easily mix and match your meal!
The first recipe that I tried was the Sausage and Clams with Polenta. I stuck to seafood because we were at the beach for a week this past summer (I know, so long ago) when my mother and sister-in-laws came to stay for a few days. It was so easy, so beachy and a one-pot wonder that I actually had made it twice! At the time, my husband and I were trying to trim down, so we made it without the polenta, but cooked up some pasta for the in-laws so they could have a balanced meal with carbs. Make sure to have some warm, crispy bread to also dunk into the yummy sauce.
Food Network Magazine Recipe: Sausage and Clams with Polenta. Photo courtesy of Foodnetworkmagazine.com and Antonis Achilleos.
Triple Threat Mommy’s own pics of how my Sausage and Clams recipe came out (without polenta, but with pasta): Yum!
Ingredients
- 1 cup instant polenta
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe, florets chopped, or 1/2 head escarole, chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3/4 pound hot or sweet Italian sausages, cut into chunks
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 16 littleneck clams, scrubbed
- Chopped fresh parsley, for topping (optional)
Directions
Cook the polenta as the label directs; keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and broccoli rabe, season with salt and pepper and cook until the broccoli rabe is slightly tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the sausage to the pot and cook until just brown, breaking it up with a spoon, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes.
Add the clams; cover and cook over medium-high heat until the clams open, 5 to 7 minutes (discard any that do not open). Return the broccoli rabe to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Divide the polenta among bowls and top with the sausage-clam mixture and cooking liquid. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.
Per serving: Calories 468; Fat 15 g (Saturated 4 g); Cholesterol 45 mg; Sodium 676 mg; Carbohydrate 49 g; Fiber 5 g; Protein 30 g