Instructions:

Cabbage and Cudighi

I grew up in a very Italian household and one of my all time favorite dishes was Cabbage and Cudighi.

Cudighi is the name of the Italian sausage that we ate and can be found only in a very small geographic area. I have mastered the art of making it myself so I can still enjoy this wonderful dish.

The recipe is below for those who may want to try. Just substitute any Italian sausage for the Cudighi.

Polenta
3 cups cold water
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt

Sauce
1 large can Hunt's Special Tomato Sauce
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tablespoon dry red wine
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

Remaining Ingredients
1 pound Italian sausage
1 cabbage
1 pound mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons butter

Prepare the polenta..... In a 2-quart oiled bowl add cold water. Mix together cornmeal and salt and add to bowl. Cover bowl and microwave on HIGH for 7 minutes. You must stir this every 2 minutes. Cover bottom of 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with polenta.

Cooking the sauce...... Combine all ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. Set aside.

Peel the large leaves from the cabbage. Cut into smaller pieces, not too small as it will cook down. Brown the sausage and the cabbage in the butter. Place the cabbage and sausage on top of the polenta in the casserole dish. Add the sauce on top of this and finally add the cheese on the top. Bake, covered, for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.