Name: Pumpkin Polenta With Gouda and Brown Butter Shrimp
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 4 cups chicken stock; 1 cup yellow cornmeal; 1 cup shredded smoked gouda; ½ cup pumpkin purée; Splash of heavy cream; Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg; Salt and pepper to taste; 3 tablespoons canola oil (divided); ¼ cup pumpkin seeds; Handful of fresh sage leaves; 7 tablespoons salted butter (divided); 1 pound shrimp (shelled); Salt and pepper

Step-by-Step Instructions

All right, let's get cooking. To start, we boil chicken stock over medium-high heat and then lower the temperature as we frantically stir in a steady stream of polenta until it thickens. This should only take a minute or two.

Now let's cover the polenta and give it a vigorous stir every 10 minutes for the next 30 to 40 minutes. As the polenta cooks, we'll now prep the other elements of this dish. Hey, polenta is mostly hands-off cooking, so we might as well keep ourselves busy, right?

I like to start with the fried sage and pumpkin. They cook quickly, so it's nice to get them out of the way. Simply heat some oil in a small pan and add the sage, which will take almost no time. Just fry the sage until the edges start to brown and then remove and add the pumpkin seeds. While the pumpkin seeds won't take too long, they require a bit more time. Keep frying those until they start to brown.

Now we move on to the brown butter. Once it browns, we set it aside and roast the shrimp after the polenta has cooked for about 20 minutes. When the shrimp is good and ready, we pour the brown butter on top and give the shrimp a stir. Just like that, we have brown butter shrimp, and each topping is ready to go.

After 30 or 40 minutes of cooking the polenta, give it a taste. If you're happy with the softness of the cornmeal, turn off the heat and stir in pumpkin puree, a splash of heavy cream, butter, salt, pepper and smoked Gouda. Spoon the pumpkin polenta into a bowl, top with the brown butter shrimp, sage and pumpkin seeds and enjoy every bite. And you will. Everything about this smoked Gouda-pumpkin polenta is delicious.

A close-up of pumpkin polenta with brown butter shrimp, pumpkin seeds and fried sage with pumpkins and fall leaves as decor.

Perfect Pairing

A pumpkin ale may sound like an obvious pairing, but sometimes that's the way it goes. The spices naturally complement the pumpkin and sage, and the sweet, bread-like malt is perfect with the brown butter. That said, you might want to branch out from the pumpkin family. In that case, a winter warmer is a good choice.

When a wine craving hits, I love this pumpkin polenta with an oaked chardonnay. The full body of the chardonnay balances the richness of the polenta, and the buttery wine notes meld perfectly with the shrimp and pumpkin.

If you love a delicious, comforting meal, I hope you give this pumpkin polenta with Gouda and brown butter shrimp a try. You'll be happy you did. Please let me know how you enjoyed this pumpkin polenta recipe in the comment section and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. You can also catch me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Cheers!

Pumpkin polenta with brown butter shrimp, pumpkin seeds and fried sage with pumpkins and fall leaves as decor.

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