A month or so ago on one of our excursions outside Umbria, while driving down a country road we spotted a farm selling all sorts of gourds and pumpkins. Since pumpkins and gourds aren’t as popular here in Italy as they are elsewhere and I rarely ever see them, I had my husband stop at the farm, so I could buy an armful of gourds to use as a fall display outside, and I bought three large, pretty pumpkins.
We are now leaving Umbria in just over a week, and in my attempt to use up all our perishable foods before we leave, I roasted one of the larger pumpkins this week and had a “pumpkin” day in my kitchen. I baked pumpkin muffins, a pumpkin loaf, made pumpkin French toast, pumpkin macaroni and cheese, and finally, made this polenta dish.
There are some days when you have an idea for a dish and the results are disappointing, while other days you totally hit a winner. Thankfully this polenta dish tasted even better than I had imagined, and will undoubtedly be one I will make often this fall. The pumpkin added a subtle sweetness to the creamy polenta, and the sausage, fennel & roasted pumpkin ragu on top was delicious.
In Italy, you cannot buy pumpkin in a can, so I roast a whole pumpkin to use in recipes. To roast a pumpkin, simply cut it into wedges, scoop out the seeds and place it on a baking sheet.
Roast in a 400 degree F. oven until fork tender (the time depends entirely on the variety and freshness of the pumpkin). After it is roasted, simply use a spoon to scoop the flesh from the skin. I like to place the pumpkin flesh in a strainer over a bowl for a couple of hours to remove any excess liquid in the pumpkin flesh before I use it for recipes.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Pumpkin Polenta With Sausage, Fennel, & Roasted Pumpkin Ragu
Pumpkin puree adds a subtle sweetness to creamy polenta which is then topped with a hearty sausage ragu.
Ingredients
Roasted Pumpkin:
- 2 1/2 Cups Diced Pumpkin Or Other Winter Squash
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Sausage Ragu:
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 Links Italian Sausage, Meat Removed From Casings
- 1 Medium Onion, Peeled & Diced
- 1 Fennel Bulb, Trimmed, Cored & Diced
- 3 Cloves Garlic, Peeled & Minced
- 1 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Sage
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 Cup Dry White Wine
- 1/3 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
Pumpkin Polenta:
- 1 Cup Quick Or Instant Polenta
- 2 Cups Pumpkin Puree
- 1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Fresh Sage
- Salt & Pepper
- 3 Cups Vegetable or Chicken Broth
- 1 Cup Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Toss the diced pumpkin with the olive oil and spread over a baking sheet.
- Bake the pumpkin until fork tender and lightly browned, turning once or twice while baking, then set aside until needed.
- In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil and cook the sausage meat until lightly browned, breaking it up as it cooks.
- Add the onions and fennel to the skillet, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the skillet and cook a minute or two until fragrant.
- Add the sage, season and salt and pepper, then add the wine.
- Cook over medium high heat until the wine has almost completely dissolved into the ragu, mix in the parsley and roasted pumpkin, and keep warm.
- In a pot, mix the polenta with the broth, pumpkin puree, sage, salt and pepper and cook until tender following manufacture's directions.
- Once cooked, stir the butter and grated cheese into the polenta.
- Spoon the polenta onto four individual bowls, then top with sausage ragu and serve immediately.