Chorizo Ragu with Polenta | Recipe – The Food and Booze Logs

A spicy sausage sauce served with a side of polenta. The fennel seeds add an unexpected but quite nice touch of liquorice.

For three to four you’ll need 400 g chorizo, 2 Hungarian paprikas, 1 sprig of rosemary, 2 tsp fennel seeds, 400g chopped tomatoes; tinned is fine, a small tin (70 g) of tomato paste, 2 1/2 dl of water, 2 tsp red wine vinegar, black pepper and a small amount of salt.

The polenta needs 2 dl polenta, 8 dl chicken broth, 50 g grated Parmesan and 100 g grated smoked (optional) cheese, 2 tbsp butter, salt and pepper.

Considering the amount of spice in the chorizo ragu, you can safely use just Parmesan. The difference, although it does add a nice smokiness, will mostly be noticeable if you eat the polenta on it’s own.

Start by chopping the chorizo and grating the cheeses, then place the chorizo in a frying pan on medium heat.

Slice the peppers thinly, and when the oil from the chorizo starts gathering in the pan, add them as well as the rosemary and fennel seeds. Continue frying on low-medium heat for a few minutes.

Add the tomatoes, the tomato paste, vinegar and water, and a few twirls of the pepper mill. Let it simmer until it’s slightly solidifying, then remove from the heat.

Bring the chicken broth to a boil, then turn down the heat.

With the heat on medium-low, start whisking the polenta into the broth. When the polenta has reached a soft mash-like consistency, add the grated cheese, butter, salt and pepper and let cook until the cheese has melted.

Serve the polenta with the sauce. Add a salad, a red wine or a wheat beer.

List of ingredients