fresh corn polenta with sausage and tomatoes.

The temperature remains high and all I can think about is fall which is pathetic considering I will be dreaming of summer come November.  The problem is that stores are filling up with sweaters and blazers and dark denim and I want to scoop all of it and wear it immediately (I am currently lusting over a beautiful Rag and Bone blazer and these blue suede JCrew pumps…they make me swoon.)  I’ve also been craving as of late warm plates of food – piping hot bowls of pasta, spicy soups, and rich casseroles.  I think by body is saying “I want something besides tomato salad!!” I reached a conclusion the other night that I can have my cake and eat it to – I can use the plethora of vegetables I have to create a comforting dish of food (and suffer in the sauna like kitchen which is what happens when I turn the oven on for more the 5 minutes in the summer).

So I thought and pondered and looked at cookbooks and decided that fresh corn polenta would fill my need for something warm and comforting and it would still feel like summer.  Fresh corn polenta is amazing – it’s sweet and creamy and it works with a wide variety of toppings.  It’s also a cinch to make and it tastes like epitome of summer and fall (yes food can taste like multiple seasons).  For my polenta topping, I cooked up some sausage for texture and then mixed in some jalapenos for heat.  I also added in some chopped tomatoes for a nice burst of acidity and then I spooned this mixture over my lovely corn polenta.  The dish fulfilled all my cravings and the variety of tastes and textures transformed it into something special.  It’s was the kind of meal that makes you look forward to fall. 

Fresh Corn Polenta with Sausage and Tomatoes

The corn polenta makes a wonderful base for any variety of things.  Works wonderfully with grilled shrimp or you could make it vegetarian my omitting the sausage.  The possibilities are endless!

Fresh Corn Polenta

Recipe from Marcus Samuelson

Serves for as a side, 2 generously as a meal

4 ears of corn

½ cup water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Grated parmesan or cheddar or a combination of both, to taste

Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Stand the shucked ears of corn upright in a shallow bowl and cut off the kernel as close to the cob as you can.  Go around again and scrape out the remaining milk in the cobs.  Grind the corn kernels in a food processor until you have a slushy mix.  Put the corn in a large saucepan along with the water and olive oil.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes; don’t let the corn scorch!  Add salt, cheese, and pepper, along with a drizzle of olive oil if desired and the topping if your choice.  Serve at once.

Sausage and Tomato Topping

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 link of spicy sausage, casing removed (I used a jalapeno pepper jack one that I got from the Meat Hook!)

¾ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ cup diced roasted red peppers

1-2 tablespoons diced jalapenos (depending on your level of spicy)

Chives to garnish

In a sauté pan heat the olive oil, when hot add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.  When brown and cooked through add in the tomatoes and peppers, cooking until the tomatoes have begun to burst about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the jalapenos.  Spoon mixture over the corn polenta and garnish with chives. 

gnocchi with spicy sausage, tomatoes, and corn.

Cleaning the freezer out has become and epic fail on my part.  Every time I remove one thing, I suddenly make something else that falls into its spot.  Its become a vicious cycle but I’ve come to accept I will never see the back of the freezer again.  Regardless, I continue to make valiant attempts at cleaning it out (more so because my better half insists I do so).  This pasta dish came to fruition because the gnocchi that I had stowed away in the freezer needed to be used.  I also had a single sausage that looked like it was nearing the end of its life and a plethora of vegetables that were looking a little ripe.  I figured if I threw it all together that it would either a very bad meal or a passable meal.  Somehow, the opposite was true and it turned into one of the best weeknight meals I had made in a while.

Gnocchi with Spicy Sausage, Tomatoes, and Corn

Let’s talk about sausage for a minute.  Sausage is a wonderful thing it adds an incredible amount of flavor to a dish and a superb texture.  Sausage can also be very terrible.  Bad sausage is not something anyone should ever experience – it’s usually devoid of flavor with a horrible texture, no one should ever eat that.  I’ve been experimenting with making my own but until I master that I buy it from my favorite butcher in New York – Dickson's Farmstand.  Their sausage is unreal – meaty and rich with a lot of intense flavor.  I love using it in pastas or vegetable dishes since it really adds a lot to the dish.    

1 link spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ pint cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
2 ears of corn, kernels cut from cob
2 teaspoons tomato paste
¼ cup creamy gorgonzola
1 teaspoon heavy cream
¼ cup parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
9-10 oz of gnocchi
¼ fresh basil, thinly sliced

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  In a large saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil, when hot add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.  When beginning to brown and cooked through, stir in the tomato paste and then add in the cherry tomatoes.  Turn the heat to medium low, allowing the tomatoes to cook down and begin to burst about 3-4 minutes.  Once the tomatoes have burst, add in the corn and allow it to cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Salt your water and add in your gnocchi – watch carefully, they should only take about 3 minutes to cook (they will float when ready!).  In your saucepan, add in the gorgonzola, stirring to mix and melt well.  Add in your heavy cream then half the parmesan and half the basil. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary (I found no salt to be necessary as my sausage and cheese were salty enough but it needed a little pepper!).  When gnocchi are cooked, add them to your saucepan, mixing to combine with your sauce.  Top pasta with the remained of the parmesan and basil.