Pumpkin Polenta With Italian Sausage And Fennel Recipes

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.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE WITH FENNEL, PEPPERS, AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Toss together all ingredients except fennel fronds with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large shallow baking pan. Broil 4 inches from heat until sausage is browned and vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Turn over and stir, then broil until sausage is just cooked through and vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes more. Serve sprinkled with fennel fronds.

POLENTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine 1 cup water and cornmeal. In a saucepan, bring salt and remaining water to a boil. Slowly stir in cornmeal mixture. Reduce heat; cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage and garlic over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Cool slightly. Cut sausage into 1-in. pieces; return to skillet. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and parsley; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat., Spread half of the cornmeal mixture in a serving dish; top with half of the sausage mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

PUMPKIN POLENTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage. Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. Add 1 tablespoon of EVOO (1 turn of the pan) to the skillet and then the onion and fennel. Cook the vegetables over moderate heat until tender but not brown. Add the wine and return the sausage to the skillet. Cook the wine away, a minute or so.
• In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock and butter to a boil and stir in the pumpkin. Return to a boil, whisk in the polenta and stir until it masses together, 2 minutes. (Watch out for splatters.) Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the nutmeg, thyme, salt, pepper and Pecorino Romano cheese. Top the pumpkin polenta with the sausage and fennel. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.

PUMPKIN POLENTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage.
• Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Add 1 tablespoon of EVOO (1 turn of the pan) to the skillet and then the onion and fennel.
• Cook the vegetables over moderate heat until tender but not brown.
• Add the wine and return the sausage to the skillet.
• Cook the wine away, a minute or so.
• In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock and butter to a boil and stir in the pumpkin.
• Return to a boil, whisk in the polenta and stir until it masses together, 2 minutes (Watch out for splatters.)
• Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the nutmeg, thyme, salt, pepper and Pecorino Romano cheese.
• Top the pumpkin polenta with the sausage and fennel.
• Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.

SAUSAGE AND FENNEL RAGOUT WITH CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add in olive oil.
• Add in sausage, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon; cook until browned, 4-5 minutes.
• Add in the red onion, fennel, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes or until the vegetables wilt and the onions become translucent.
• While the vegetables are cooking, start the polenta: In a saucepan, combine 2 ½ cups chicken broth and milk; season with salt and pepper.
• Place over med-high heat and bring to a simmer.
• Back to the vegetables: once the vegetables have wilted, add in the white wine and remaining 1 ½ cups chicken broth to the skillet; increase heat to high and bring up to a simmer.
• Cook about 4-5 minutes, to reduce liquids by half; stir in the chopped parsley.
• To the simmering chicken stock/milk, add in the polenta; whisk constantly until the cornmeal masses together.
• Add in the butter and grated cheese; stir to combine (if polenta becomes too thick, add more broth or milk).
• Serve polenta in a shallow bowl; top with a helping of sausage and fennel ragout; garnish with more Parmigiano-Reggiano.

SAUSAGE AND FENNEL RAGOUT WITH CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO. Add the sausage, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red onions, fennel, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes, or until the veggies wilt and the onions become translucent. While the veggies are cooking, start the polenta.
• In a sauce pot combine 2 1/2 cups of the chicken stock and 1 cup of milk. Season the liquid with salt and pepper. Place over medium-high heat and bring up to a simmer.
• Once the veggies have wilted, add the white wine and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock to the skillet. Turn the heat to high and bring up to a simmer. Cook to reduce the liquids by half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley.
• To the simmering chicken stock and milk add the polenta and whisk constantly until the cornmeal masses together. It's so cool how fast this happens-right before your eyes! Add the butter and grated cheese, stirring to combine. Keep in mind that polenta is very forgiving; if it becomes too thick, you can always add more warm chicken stock or milk.
• Serve the polenta in a shallow bowl and top with a helping of the sausage and fennel ragout. Garnish with more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• Buy stock or broth in aseptic boxes rather than cans. They might cost a little more, but the stocks especially have great slow-cooked flavor that really makes fast-cooked food taste rich. Plus, whatever you don't use can go directly into the refrigerator, without having to transfer it from a can. If I know I am not going to use my remaining stock within the next few days, I will transfer it to a resealable plastic bag and freeze it flat. (I have had a small revolution of freezer storage space since embracing the freezing of things flat.)

POLENTA WITH FENNEL, PEPPERS, TOMATOES AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Wash and trim the top branches and the bottom from the fennel. Slice the fennel bulb very thinly into rounds, and then slice the rounds into julienne strips.
• Heat a medium-large nonstick skillet until it is very hot; add oil, reduce heat and stir in the fennel, cooking until fennel begins to brown and soften.
• Wash, trim, seed and thinly slice the peppers, and cut slices into small pieces; add to fennel, and continue to saute over medium heat.
• Wash, trim and cut up tomatoes; add to vegetables when peppers have begun to soften.
• Pit and cut up olives, and add. Cover the pot; reduce heat to simmer, and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender.
• In covered pot, boil stock.
• Grate cheese.
• Slowly stir polenta into boiling stock, reduce heat to medium-high and cook until mixture thickens, just a couple of minutes.
• When polenta is cooked, stir in the cheese, season with salt and pepper, and top with the vegetables.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in broccoli. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until broccoli is tender. , Stir in the tomatoes, pesto, pepper flakes and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. , Meanwhile, for polenta, bring broth to a boil in a small heavy saucepan. Reduce heat to a gentle boil; slowly whisk in cornmeal. Continue stirring for 10-12 minutes or until polenta is thickened and has a smooth texture. Serve with sausage mixture. Garnish with cheese if desired.

PASTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PUMPKIN SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook and stir Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the meat is browned, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Drain excess grease. Stir onion and garlic into sausage and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in campanelle and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes; drain.
• Stir pumpkin puree, chicken broth, half-and-half, sour cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper into the sausage mixture and cook, stirring often, until sauce is creamy and thick, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer cooked campanelle pasta to a large pot and pour sausage and pumpkin mixture over pasta. Place over medium-high heat and gently stir until pasta mixture is heated through, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.

FENNEL POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place the fennel bulbs and water in a roasting pan on the lowest rack of the oven, roast about one hour, until very tender. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Chop coarsely, place in a food processor with two tablespoons of the milk and process until smooth. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan, combine the remaining milk, the stock, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick enough to allow the spoon to stand up in it, about 15 minutes. Stir in the fennel puree, the chopped fennel greens and the butter. Adjust seasonings.
• Line a baking pan 9 by 13 inches with parchment paper. Spread the polenta in the pan, smooth the surface and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for four hours, until firm.
• Cut the polenta into three-inch squares. Invert the pan to unmold them, then refrigerate them until ready to cook. Reheat the polenta by sauteing it in butter in a nonstick skillet or brushing it with butter or oil and grilling or broiling the squares until they are lightly browned and heated through. Keep in a warm oven until all the squares are browned, then serve.