Pumpkin Polenta with Italian Sausage, Fennel, and Onions

Historically, polenta is peasant food from northern Italy. This dish of boiled cornmeal is cheap, simple, and filling, making it a staple in the diets of the poor for generations. Today, however, it seems that polenta has joined the ranks of haute cuisine as it pops up on trendy menus and the tables of elite foodies worldwide. Here is a less-than-traditional but oh-so-delicious variation on the joy that is polenta.

1 lb sweet Italian sausage (cut into bite-size pieces)
1 onion (thinly sliced)
1 large bulb fennel (thinly sliced)
3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 14 oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (chopped)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup pecorino cheese (grated)
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned. Remove sausages from pan and let sit. Add fennel and onions to pan and saute until tender. Add wine and sausages to pan and cook the alcohol away for a few minutes.

In a separate saucepan, bring the chicken stock and butter to a boil, then stir in the pumpkin puree. Add polenta to the boiling liquid, stirring constantly until desired texture is achieved. Remove polenta from heat and whisk in thyme, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and pecorino cheese. Serve sausage, fennel, and onions over polenta and top with parsley and pecorino for a last minute color and flavor kick.

Chorizo con Huevos

A friend recently came to visit from Spain and she brought with her some Spanish culinary treats, including some chorizo sausages! Chorizo is a pork sausage seasoned with Spanish paprika and salt. They are incredibly rich, filling, and flavorful. Here's my take on the classic Spanish dish of chorizo with eggs.

3 chorizo sausages (sliced)
1 large onion (chopped)
4 eggs
Salt
Pepper
Rice
Grana cheese


Saute the onions in a very small amount of oil. Add the sausages and saute until cooked through. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a small amount of water, salt, and pepper. Add the egg mixture to the pan. Mix everything together and cook until the eggs are done.

Serve on top of rice and top with grated grana cheese, salt, and pepper. ¡Olé!

Sausage and Peppers

This is another Hungarian-inspired dish. Here it is called Lecsó (pronounced Letch-oh), which is basically a vegetable stew composed of peppers, onions, and tomatoes. There seem to be a million variations on Lecsó, but here is my rendition.

1 large onion (cut into pieces)
2 cloves garlic (cut into small pieces)
5 banana peppers - or bell peppers (cored, seeded, cut into strips)
2 tomatoes (cut into small wedges)
1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt
1/2 pound Hungarian sausage (cut into rounds)
Bread
Spicy mustard

Heat oil and sauté onions and garlic until the onion is translucent. Add the peppers and continue sautéing for 5 to 10 minutes, until peppers are soft. Next, add tomatoes, paprika powder, and tomato paste. Stir well. Salt to taste. Cover the saucepan and let it cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Add the sausages and cook for another 10 minutes or until sausages are hot. Serve on toasted bread or rolls with some spicy mustard.

Sour Lentil Soup

Lentils are a fantastic ingredient because they are cheap, delicious, and can be stored for over a year in dried form. These qualities make them the perfect food for low-income, somewhat disorganized food lovers like myself. This soup is savory and filling, ideal for a cold winter night in Budapest.

1 cup dried lentils
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
3 stalks celery (sliced into small crescents)
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 pound Hungarian sausage (cut into rounds)
Sour cream (for dolloping on top of individual servings)

Start by soaking the lentils in cold water for several hours. Drain the lentils and replace them in a large pot. Add 4 cups of fresh cold water. Add the onion and the celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and put on low heat for about 1 hour.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. Stir in about 2 tablespoons of flour and cook until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add more flour for a thicker consistency soup. Add half a cup of water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the flour mixture and stir constantly to develop a paste. Add this paste to the lentils. Chunks of paste may stick together, so be sure to whisk thoroughly. Soup can be thickened with more flour paste or thinned with more water. Add salt, pepper, and vinegar to adjust flavor at this point.

Fry the sausages briefly with olive oil, then add them to the soup. Let the whole thing simmer together for a few minutes, making sure the sausages are heated all the way through. Add a spoonful of sour cream on top of your serving for authentic Hungarian flavor. Delish!