Pumpkin Polenta With Chorizo Food

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.

CHORIZO AND POLENTA LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the polenta: Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large pot. Add the polenta and whisk until fully incorporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; cover and cook over medium heat, 5 to 6 minutes. Finish by folding in the melted butter. Keep warm.
• Make the chorizo sauce: Coat a large saute pan with the olive oil and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until almost translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the ground pork and brown 4 to 5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the paprika, granulated garlic, onion powder, chili powder and cumin and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook 1 more minute to toast the spices, then add the vinegar, minced garlic and tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce is thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes. Taste and season once more with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• Make the lasagna: Wash, drain and finely slice the chard. Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the chard and saute 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain in a colander and squeeze out any excess moisture.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9-inch-oval or 8-inch-square flameproof baking dish. Pour half of the polenta in the dish and spread out evenly. Top with half of the chorizo sauce and all of the chard. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. Top evenly with the remaining polenta, then the remaining chorizo sauce and finally the remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil, place the dish on a sheet tray and bake 30 minutes. Turn on the broiler. Remove the foil and broil until the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 3 more minutes. Let sit for 25 minutes before serving.

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.

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.

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.

PUMPKIN POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
• In a blender or food processor, blend pumpkin, butter, eggs, and egg whites. Mix in the brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Blend until smooth, and transfer to a medium bowl.
• Mix yogurt and polenta into the pumpkin mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly before slicing.

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.

CHORIZO AND POLENTA LASAGNA

Steps:

• For the polenta: Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large pot. Add the polenta and whisk until fully incorporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the salt and cook, covered, over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes. Finish by folding in the melted butter. Keep warm while you prepare the chorizo.
• For the chorizo: Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and set over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until almost translucent, and then add the ground pork. Brown 4 to 5 minutes while breaking the pork pieces up with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the paprika, granulated garlic, onion powder, chili powder and cumin, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute longer to toast the spices, and then add the vinegar, garlic and tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce is thickened and reduced, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and season once more with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• For assembly: Wash, drain and finely slice the chard. Heat the garlic and some olive oil in a large pan and saute, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain in a colander and squeeze out any excess moisture.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-by-8-by-2-inch gratin dish or an oval 9-inch cast-iron pan. Pour half of the polenta in and spread out evenly. Top with half of the chorizo and all of the Swiss chard. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. Repeat with a layer of the remaining polenta, then the remaining chorizo, and finally the remaining cheese. Cover with foil, place the dish on a sheet tray and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly, 15 minutes longer. Let sit 25 minutes to set up, then cut into portions and serve.

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.

BREAKFAST POLENTA WITH CHORIZO AND QUESO FRESCO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss cheese and cilantro in small bowl. Mix 3 1/4 cups water, polenta, and corn kernels in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and stir to blend well. Bake until water is absorbed and polenta is tender, stirring once, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sauté chorizo in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until browned, breaking into small pieces with side of wooden spoon, about 6 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes to skillet. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until tomatoes soften, about 6 minutes. Uncover; crush some tomatoes with fork. Simmer until tomatoes release juices and sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Spoon polenta onto plates. Top with chorizo mixture, then cheese mixture.

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 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 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.

POLENTA WITH CHORIZO AND QUESO FRESCA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Mix water, polenta and corn in 13x9x2 glass baking dish (I used 9x9) Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and stir to blend well.
• Bake 25 minutes, until water is absorbed and polenta is tender. Stir once within that time.
• While baking saute chorizo in large skillet over medium heat until browned, breaking into small pieces with wooden spoon, about 6 minutes.
• Add cherry tomatoes to skillet. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until tomatoes soften, about 6 minutes.
• Uncover, crush some tomatoes with fork and stir. Simmer until tomatoes release juices and sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
• Spoon polenta onto plates, top with chorizo mixture, then cheese and cilantro.
• Serve hot.

POLENTA WITH CHORIZO & POACHED EGGS

Steps:

• Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add the chorizo. Cook for 5 mins or until starting to crisp. Stir through the chard and leave to wilt for 5-8 mins, then remove from the heat and set aside.
• Bring a pan of water to the boil, reduce to a simmer, then quickly stir the water with a wooden spoon to create a whirlpool. Once the whirlpool has almost completely subsided, crack an egg into the centre of it. Gently simmer for 3 mins, then remove with a slotted spoon. Set aside on a plate while you poach the remaining egg.
• Cook the polenta following pack instructions, then mix in the parmesan, oil, parsley and some seasoning. Spoon the polenta onto plates and top with the chorizo, chard and a poached egg.

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.

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.