White Corn Polenta & Chorizo Breakfast

I've posted this recipe before but it bears repeating, especially now that I've discovered the locally grown and ground white corn polenta from Talon de Gato Farm in Dixon, NM (just a little north of Santa Fe), and that is available at the Santa Fe Farmers Market.

A hot creamy bowl of polenta with good chorizo is one of our all-time favorite breakfast meals. The polenta takes 25-30 minutes to cook but it's worth the wait.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. chorizo sausage

4 cups water

1 cup polenta or grits (preferably the white corn polenta that is local to the Santa Fe area if you live around here)

2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (or parmesan - see note below)

1 tablespoon butter

salt & pepper to taste

sour cream for garnish

cilantro for garnish

hot sauce to add heat (optional)

Cook chorizo sausage in a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat until done, approximately 10 -15 minutes. Keep warm.

Cook polenta in a medium-sized, heavy bottom sauce pan by bringing 4 cups of lightly salted water to a boil, then slowly pouring in polenta while stirring constantly so that it doesn't lump. Once all the polenta in stirred into the water and the mixture has returned to the boil, turn temperature down to medium-low and let cook for 25 minutes longer, stirring occasionally throughout the cooking process so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of your pan. Cook until polenta is the consistency of a thick custard. Turn off heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoons of mascarpone cheese. This will make the polenta quite creamy in texture. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste.

Note: if you don't have mascarpone cheese on hand, you can use a good quality parmesan instead - just finely grate it and stir it into the polenta after it's cooked, just like you would the mascarpone.

Serve immediately by placing polenta into warmed soup bowls. Spoon cooked chorizo on top of polenta, then garish with sour cream, cilantro and hot sauce to taste. 

Comments

[healthy eating recipe]

chorizo is good to mix the vegetables.