Pumpkin Polenta With Chorizo Recipes

PUMPKIN POLENTA WITH CHORIZO & BLACK BEANS

Steps:

• In a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat the olive oil and the chorizo. Cook for a minute or two.
• Add the onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the black beans and red bell peppers and cook for another minute or two.
• In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock and butter to a boil. Stir in the pumpkin puree. Add the polenta and stir until it thickens, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and add the thyme, salt, pepper and cheese.
• Spoon the polenta onto serving dishes. Top with the chorizo mixture.
• Optionally garnish with parsley.

PUMPKIN POLENTA WITH CHORIZO AND BLACK BEANS

Steps:

• Heat a medium nonstick skillet over med-high heat; add in olive oil and chorizo; cook for a minute or two, then add in the onions; cook 3-4 minutes.
• Add in the black beans and red peppers; heat through for another minute or two.
• In a big saucepan, bring the chicken stock and butter to a boil; stir in the pumpkin.
• Add the polenta and stir until it masses (about 2 minutes).
• Remove pan from heat; add in thyme, salt, pepper, and cheese; stir to combine and adjust seasoning to taste.
• Pour or spoon the polenta onto plates; top with chorizo and beans; garnish with parsley.

PUMPKIN POLENTA WITH VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the Brussels sprouts and butternut squash with the olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer. Bake until tender and browned, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 cups water, the milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the polenta. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring often, until creamy, about 6 minutes. Whisk in the pumpkin puree. Cook, whisking, until warmed through, about 4 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the grated parmesan, butter and sage; season with salt. Top each serving with the roasted vegetables and shaved parmesan; drizzle with olive oil.

PUMPKIN GRATIN POLENTA WITH SPINACH MUSHROOMS AND FETA

Steps:

• Bake the butternut pumpkin. If you're doing this ahead of time, just cut it into a few pieces, scoop out the seeds, and place on a baking tray and bake at moderate heat for an hour or so until soft, then remove the flesh from the skin. If you're in a hurry, skin and seed the pumpkin then cut into smallish cubes. Toss with a bit of olive oil, then bake at 350F for about 20-30 minutes until soft. Puree it with a potato masher or implement of choice.
• Stir the polenta into the cold water in an ample pot, add the vegetable stock, and bring it to a simmer, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the polenta is thick and tender, about half an hour. Remove from the heat, then stir in the pureed pumpkin and the butter, and add a little salt and pepper. Remember that you will be layering it with salty feta, so use a light hand. Pour the polenta onto a large baking sheet and smooth it into a 1/2 inch layer. Allow it to stiffen (30 minutes or more), then cut into rectangles about 2x3 inches in size.
• Meanwhile, peel, halve and slice the red onions. Warm the oil in a large non-stick pan over a low-moderate heat. Add the onions and a dash of salt, and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then, then remove the lid and cook another 15 minutes or more. When the onions are very soft, add the balsamic vinegar to taste and cook another 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.
• Wipe and slice the mushrooms. Heat the butter or oil and cook the mushrooms until they're a lovely dark brown. Season with Salt and pepper and set aside.
• Remove tough stems from the spinach and wash the leaves well, then chop roughly. In a large saucepan, heat a bit of oil and add the peeled and chopped garlic. Saute for a minute or two, then add the spinach. Put the lid on the pan, and cook for several minutes, turning the leaves with tongs every couple of minutes to stop them sticking. When the leaves are wilted and tender, remove them from the heat and tip them out into a large colander to drain any liquid.
• In a bowl, mix together the spinach, mushrooms, onions and most of the crumbled feta. Lightly oil a large gratin or lasagne dish. Spoon a little of the vegetable mixture into one end of the dish, then start overlapping layers of the polenta slices with layers of the vegetable mixture, leaving some of the filling showing between layers of polenta. You'll have to judge how upright to layer the slices based on the size of your dish. Once you have used up all the filling and polenta, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes. It should be bubbling hot, and the cheese on top will be golden brown in spots. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then serve.

CREAMY PUMPKIN POLENTA

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil., Reduce heat to a gentle boil; slowly whisk in cornmeal and nutmeg. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon for 15-20 minutes or until polenta is thickened and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the pan. Stir in pumpkin and cream cheese until smooth. Sprinkle each serving with pumpkin seeds if desired.

SLOW COOKER PUMPKIN-PARMESAN POLENTA

Steps:

• In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, whisk together the polenta with 10 cups of water, then whisk in the pumpkin. Scatter in 4 tablespoons butter, cut into bits; the salt; a generous amount of pepper; the thyme sprig; 1 sprig of the sage; and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Cook on low for 6 hours, whisking once or twice if possible. (This can hold very well on warm for several hours.)
• Break the cream cheese into pieces and drop them into the polenta; whisk to melt the cream cheese and combine. Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg, then stir in the grated Parmesan. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
• In a medium skillet, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Pick the leaves from the remaining sage sprigs, and when the butter is melted, drop them in. Cook the butter and the sage, swirling the pan often, until the butter solids start to turn medium-brown and smell toasty, 3 to 5 minutes. (Don't walk away; butter goes from browned to burned in seconds.) Remove the pan from the heat immediately and swirl the browned butter-sage mixture into the polenta. Serve the polenta in a large platter or shallow bowl, topped with a bit more Parmesan and more nutmeg if desired.
• In a large pot, bring 10 cups of water to boil over high heat. Add the polenta in a steady steam while whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low or medium-low. (You want the polenta-water mixture to be steaming hot, but not boiling.) Continue to whisk constantly for about 3 minutes, until the polenta and water have formed a smooth mixture. Whisk in the pumpkin, 4 tablespoons butter, the salt, a generous amount of pepper, the thyme sprig, 1 sage sprig and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Once all the ingredients are combined, cover and cook for 40 minutes, whisking well every 10 minutes.
• Uncover the pot and cook for about 1 hour more, whisking every 10 minutes, until the polenta is smooth and tender, and the mixture has thickened and is creamy but not runny.
• Break the cream cheese into small pieces and drop them into the polenta; whisk to melt the cream cheese and combine. Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg and the grated Parmesan. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
• Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in a medium skillet. Pick the leaves from the remaining sage sprigs and when the butter is melted, drop them in. Cook the butter and the sage, swirling the pan often, until the butter solids start to turn medium brown and smell toasty, 3 to 5 minutes. (Don't walk away; butter goes from browned to burned in seconds.) Remove the pan from the heat immediately and swirl the browned butter-sage mixture into the polenta. Serve the polenta in a large platter or shallow bowl, topped with a bit more Parmesan and more nutmeg if desired.

PUMPKIN POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the pumpkin in water in a roasting pan on the lower rack of the oven. Bake until very well done and tender, about one hour. Remove and cool slightly. Scoop the meat of the pumpkin into a food processor, add one-quarter cup of the milk and puree until smooth. Keep warm.
• In a large saucepan, combine the remaining milk, the stock, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until the polenta is thick enough to allow the spoon to stand up in it, about 15 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree and butter. Adjust the salt and pepper.
• Pour the mixture into a parchment-lined 16-by-12-by-1-inch sheet pan. Smooth and level the surface, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about four hours.
• Remove the plastic wrap, and with a knife or cookie cutter, cut the polenta into triangles, rectangles or diamonds. Invert the pan to unload. Refrigerate until ready to cook, covering with plastic wrap if it is for more than an hour.
• In a nonstick skillet, heat just enough butter to cover the bottom of the pan over high heat. Carefully add the polenta and sear about two minutes on each side and drain on a paper towel. Serve at once.

CREAMY OVEN-BAKED POLENTA WITH PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
• Combine water, milk, cornmeal, and salt in the prepared baking dish; mix well. It's normal for the mixture to separate a bit.
• Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and stir in pumpkin, Jarlsberg, 1/2 of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, sour cream, nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and top with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano. Turn on the broiler.
• Broil until top is brown and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

PUMPKIN CHORIZO SOUP

Steps:

• Shred potatoes and carrots using the grating attachment of a food processor.
• Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large pot. Boil shredded potatoes and carrots in the broth until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir chorizo in the hot skillet until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Cook and stir onion in the chorizo grease until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Pour blended broth into a slow cooker. Mix in chorizo and onion. Pour in pumpkin puree. Add brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, pepper, sage, rosemary, nutmeg, cloves, and thyme.
• Simmer on High until flavors meld, about 1 hour.

CHORIZO PUMPKIN PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta water., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute sausage over medium heat until lightly browned; reduce heat to medium-low. Add pumpkin, cream, salt and pepper; cook and stir until heated through. Toss with pasta and enough pasta water to moisten; stir in cheese. If desired, sprinkle with cilantro.