Did They Eat It?: Pumpkin Polenta with Chorizo and Black Beans

As I read this recipe, I found myself laughing a little to myself. As I've said before, I like making things my kids believe they'll die from eating. It makes me feel just a little more alive.

This one, had all the makings of a deadly recipe. Sausage! Polenta! Even onions. Onions I diced while my husband watched, remarking every 20 seconds, "That's a lot of onions, huh?" and "Jeez...how many onions are you putting in that?"

You can find the entire recipe here.

I skipped the red peppers (ever since I was pregnant with Maddie, I can't eat red peppers. Her pickiness made it's way into my blood a little. I also used sharp cheddar in place of the Manchego cheese, just because it seemed a little silly to search the cheese refrigerator at the market for a special cheese when I knew the kids were going to spend the entire meal gagging and dying on the floor.

This was a really, really easy meal to make.

Here are most of the ingredients I used...sloppily displayed with Logan and Max sharing a before dinner snack/drink.

Here is the onion I used. It's about 1/4 of what the recipe calls for and wow, it made Logan very tense.

We got this pot when we worked at Crate and Barrel from the Berndes representative. Mine is starting to look a little cauldron-ish. You bring 3 cups of broth and 2 Tbsp unsalted butter to a boil while your onions and sausage cook.

Cook the sausage through...

Then add the black beans and let them warm through.

When the broth starts to boil, mix in your pumpkin. Logan helped me take these pictures and the pictures of the pumpkin being added were blurry. So imagine pureed pumpkin mixed into the broth.

Amazing....

Then you add your quick cooking polenta. I know you're supposed to level your dry ingredients but enh, my fingers made it level enough.

You end up with this:

Add your cheese (another blurry picture) and your fresh (I used dried) thyme and cook it on medium low until it pulls away from the pan a bit. Boiling polenta is not a good thing, the bubbles explode on the surface burning your hands and sticking the walls. Make sure your heat isn't set too high.

Here's the final product, though each serving is supposed to have quite a bit more polenta, I figured why waste it on the kids who will likely fall over dead after gazing upon it's horribleness.

Was I right? Did They Eat It?

Logan: I love this, this is a solid meal. [Ed Note: Part I wish he'd said] Gee! You really can't taste the onions! I've learned the error of my ways and I'll never complain as you chop the onions!

Max: "I don't like polenta. Remember? I tried it when I was in utero? And I didn't like it and I told you? I still don't like it and I never will. No I won't try it. Plus? Onions? I can see? I'll pick through and eat the sausage but that is it."

Maddie: "Well, since Max is sitting over there freaking about the polenta it's taking the pressure off me. I don't have to play my family role as The Picky One [Ed Note: I'm Filling In Here With Great Confusion and Awe] Usually I won't touch sausage and I complain about black beans too. But I'm going to eat the sausage and the black beans happily. Close your mouth Mother, remember? Taste buds change?" She even tried two small bites of polenta, rejecting it twice.

Listen, a double rejection?  That's progress. Usually my food is rejected upon announcement of the ingredients due to the sensitive tastebuds my husband and daughter seem to have in their ear drums. I'm thrilled.

Melissa: "I really love polenta. The only good reason to have Celiac's Disease is so you can eat more polenta. Loved it."

Comments

[CinAA]

I am impressed that you continue to cook things that actually take work knowing full well that at least half the family will reject you dinner based on preconceived notions having nothing to do with taste. I feel so beaten down sometimes....

[carlarey]

I have the opposite problem; my husband will look over what I'm cooking, and even if it's dessert, will suggest adding kale, garlic, beets or onion.

[De in D.C.]

This would be a total winner in my family; I must try it sometime. My 8yo boy will eat anything that has sausage or beans in it. To have both sausage AND beans is a guaranteed winner. He claims he doesn't like onions, but only picks them out if they are large and visible. Little diced onions are eaten unnoticed.

[jessica]

my husband is "scared" of polenta. he's all - i jsut don't get it. and I'm all "it's fracking corn - what is there to GET?" this sounds DELICIOUS though, so I'm going to make it - he can have leftovers :) thanks for the idea!

[melissaS]

CinAA I sustain myself with these rare moments, like Maddie trying two small bites of polenta without coddling and begging.

It shows that there is some hope in keeping at it. Even for Logan.

[Saple]

Yeah the amount of onions that you put in still gave me pause.. ONIONS ARE NOT MY FRIEND.... but can you imagine if you put in the amount that they asked for...

It sounds good in concept but the sausage and the pumpkin I cannot get my head around

[Meesha]

Wow, my husband acts exactly the same way about onions. THEY SHRINK WHEN YOU COOK THEM, PEOPLE.

[Liz]

Did I miss something? Do you have celiac's disease?

[melissaS]

No I was tested and it came back negative. Polenta is still the only good thing about being Gluten Free.

[Anne]

We are not sausage fans here (even me, and I'm the least picky of the bunch), how do you think this would do with ground beef or ground turkey?

[Deidre]

I am a celiac, and there is one more good thing about being gluten-free. The brownie mix that comes in a pink bag (pamela's perhaps?)...some of the best brownie's I've ever had. Ever.

pumpkin and polenta - will have to try it!

[Spandrel Studios]

Polenta's one of my favorite ingredients, and this sounds like a fab Fall dish! (My husband loves onions, but hates beans - it's always something.)

[Tanya]

That sounds like a great recipe. I'm going to try it. I do have Celiac and am always looking for new gluten-free ideas. By the way, there is way more good things about being gluten-free than polienta; like not feeling crappy and as if you are going to die day in and day out. And sushi. And meat. And feeling like you truly, really deserve that more expensive wine since you can't have pie.

[cordy @ superhopelessromance]

I don't even know what polenta is. It looks very orange.

[Michelle]

I am down for anything that combines cheese and onions.

[Imfayedunaway]

It looks like you used regular sausage instead of chorizo. Was that on purpose? I find a little goes a long way with chorizo myself. I'm really tempted to try this recipe on my laboratory rats(oops, I mean loving family) at home.

[Rebecca]

The pumpkin polenta is one Racheal Ray recipe that I make a lot! I also serve it with regular sausage and once claimed that if I could marry polenta, I would marry this one.

BTW, it is a great breakfast and so easy to make! I LOVE this polenta.

[Tiggerlane]

I miss those kinds of Halloweens! Can we switch kids? Please?

[Laurie]

Totally going to try this! I love finding new ways to torture my four-year old.

[Dodi]

Looks delish!! Emailing this post to myself so I can try this when my "under renovation" kitchen finally gets done! Thanks :)

This looks great. And if I use Manchego it will work for my lactose-intolerant husband! This is a food-avoiders dream dish. If they like onions. And polenta.

[Chandra]

I made this last night for the fam - hubby, 2 boys - 5 and 8, the un-picky 5 year old and my husband loved it. 8 year old picked at it but eventually ate half the bowl. I added a bunch of shredded manchego on top after spooning it into the bowls and used fresh thyme. The chorizo was the already cooked type so I sliced it up instead of crumbling. Big hit. It tasted even better today as leftovers with some gouda on top (we like the cheese). Thanks for the recipe!! Oh, I couldn't find instant polenta so I got the kind in a tube and just stirred it really hard and . . . it was lumpy, but the lumps were good.

[sarah]

I made this last night & holy hell it was good. SO quick - the bulk of time was spent just waiting for the broth to boil & the onions to soften. A great comfort food, kinda like mashed potatoes.
For you vegetarians, if you go to the Rachel Ray website linked above & search for "pumpkin polenta" there is a version that is topped with spinach & white beans. Which sounds good too, but is no match for chorizo.

[AnotherSuburbanSurvivor]

Mmmmmm ... yes, this is a great go-to dinner dish. I am so glad to see someone else sing the praises of polenta. Sometimes I have to explain to people what polenta is. (We also love black beans in our family.)

We (or should I say "I" because I do all the cooking) rely on polenta about once every other week for dinner. It also tastes great made with lots of milk in place of broth/stock/water (to boost protein and calcium for growing kids) and a handful of good-quality frozen sweet corn thrown in at the last minute.
Other toppers that my son loves even when he'll eat only about 10 bites of the polenta are broiled/grilled pork tenderloin (easy, easy, and yummy when marinated ahead of time) and our family favorite -- shrimp sauteed with some chopped leeks (which I keep prepped in bags in the freezer), a couple slices of leftover bacon crumbled, and some sliced leftover sausage. A polenta dinner really is one I can throw together in 20 mintues or less. (Shrimp are really easy when you buy them frozen and already peeled and deveined.)