Autumn food

This will show you how really fiercely courageous I am. I am about to post a recipe when there is an italian on board. What nerve!

Brasato di Maiale e polpette con polenta

1 big onion, roughly chopped or thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, skinned but whole 1 hot red pepper a small branch of rosemary a twig of thyme A leaf of sage a leaf of bay +- 1 1-2 pounds of meaty pork ribs or neck slices (depends on how many you want to feed)

a recipe of well-seasoned meatballs from 1 pound of minced beef-- mine are made with bran instead of bread for dietetic reasons. Made ahead and fried until done.

+- 800 g tinned tomatoes olive oil for sauteeing salt pepper

preheat the oven to about 125 C or 250 F.

In a big, oven-proof, heavy pot, heat the olive oil and put in the onion, garlic, chili and the herbs. Saute' these until the onions are soft, but don't brown or burn the garlic. Push this aside, or remove temporarily, and saute' the ribs until browned. Put the onion stuff back in if you took it out. Throw in a teaspoon or so of salt. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Put the meatballs in and stir under so that the ribs are on top. Bring to a simmer. Put uncovered into the oven and cook 1 to 1 1-2 hours, until the ribs are fork tender. Test for salt towards the end and correct. Add the pepper just at the end. Make polenta acording to the directions, but add a little more water than called for so that it ends up creamier. Pour the hot polenta onto or into something beautiful (I have a rough olivewood bowl I use only for polenta dishes) and top with the brasato without covering the edges, so you can see the polenta. Believe it or not, sometimes raisins are good cooked in this too. I consider this a piatto unico or one dish meal, except for a vegetable to go with. Brocolli comes into season just when I feel like eating polenta, so that's a good choice, I think.

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