The Pasta Surrogate

By DANAE CAMPBELL

Oct. 21, 1998 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Quick Italian meals don’t have to mean pasta and still more pasta. Consider polenta. It’s nutritious, inexpensive, versatile and, above all, delicious. You can make it from scratch, buy the instant variety or, if time is short, use the ready-made kind. Whichever you prefer, hearty sauces, including the following one, complement it perfectly. It’s rich, spicy and satisfyingly Italian.

Serve the polenta with a mixed green salad dressed with a light balsamic vinaigrette. For dessert, broiled figs have an earthy, sweet flavor and make a light but special ending to such a hearty meal.

Italian Sausage and Tomato Cream Sauce With Parmesan Polenta

Green Salad

Broiled Figs With Almonds and Port

BROILED FIGS WITH ALMONDS AND PORT

6 large fresh figs, cut in half lengthwise

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons port

* Place figs cut-side-up in shallow oven-proof dish. Sprinkle each fig half with 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon almonds. Place dish 5 inches from broiler and broil until sugar begins to bubble and almonds are toasted, about 3 minutes.

* Place figs on plates, 2 halves per serving. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon port.

6 servings. Each serving: 76 calories; 2 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.74 gram fiber.

PARMESAN POLENTA

1 (24-ounce) tube prepared polenta

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pepper

* Cut polenta into large pieces and heat with broth in medium saucepan over medium-low heat about 5 minutes, mashing and stirring polenta as it cooks until smooth. Add cheese and stir until melted, about 1 minute. Season to taste with pepper.

6 servings. Each serving: 163 calories; 673 mg sodium; 13 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 1.15 grams fiber.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND TOMATO CREAM SAUCE

The sauce works as well over pasta as over polenta.

1 pound fresh hot or mild Italian sausage, links or bulk

1/4 pound small button mushrooms, halved (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 red onion, chopped

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, chopped

6 large plum tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons finely sliced basil

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Salt

Pepper

* If using links, remove sausage from casings. Cook sausage meat until browned, 4 to 6 minutes, in large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon during cooking. Remove meat to paper towel to drain.

* Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Reduce heat to medium, return skillet to heat and add mushrooms and red onion. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms begin to release their moisture and onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook 2 minutes.

* Add cooked sausage, garlic and tomatoes with any collected juice. Stir and scrape any browned bits from bottom of skillet.

* Add basil, parsley and whipping cream. Cook until just heated through, about 1 minute, making sure sauce doesn’t come to a boil. Remove from heat, taste sauce and season if needed with salt and pepper to taste.

6 servings. Each serving: 433 calories; 447 mg sodium; 125 mg cholesterol; 40 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.75 gram fiber.

COUNTDOWN

30 minutes before: Wash lettuce for salad. Halve mushrooms, chop garlic, tomatoes, red onion and herbs for sauce. Halve figs, place in baking dish and set aside. Measure out almonds and brown sugar. Set aside.

22 minutes before: Start cooking polenta over low heat.

17 minutes before: Add cheese to polenta and keep warm over very low heat. Start cooking sausage.

10 minutes before: Drain sausage. Add mushrooms and onion to skillet.

6 minutes before: Add tomato paste and garlic.

4 minutes before: Finish sauce by adding sausage, tomatoes, herbs and whipping cream.

2 minutes before: Make vinaigrette and toss with lettuce.

After main course: Sprinkle figs with almonds and sugar. Broil figs 3 minutes. Sprinkle with port.

INGREDIENTS

Shopping List

1 red onion

1 pint whipping cream

1/4 pound small button mushrooms