Midweek Magic: Spicy Sausage Ragu with Mascarpone Polenta
Hello my lovelies! It seems like as usual, time has been flying and we are back at Beltane again. I felt drawn this time to write a post that went back to the very roots of why I started this blog in the first place. I wanted to forge a space that not only was friendly for all food lovers regardless of belief, but even more so, create a resource for busy people like myself to go and pull from when they needed a boost of magic but didn’t feel like they had a bunch of time or energy.
So, instead of writing a long post focused upon a special recipe for the sabbat, I wanted to offer a quick post that features a delicious, fast, and easy recipe that you could make 365 days of the year. It just so happens that the intentions of the recipe align with the celebration of Beltane as well!
Lighting the Spark of Creativity
Beltane is our last fling with spring before Litha next month and one of the festivals of the year that centers around the element of fire; bringing with it energy towards fertility, virility, and life. Paired with these energies are the lingering impacts of the rebirth and renewal of Ostara. Together, they create the perfect space for you to add spark of life to any creative endevours you have brewing at the moment.
If you’ve in the planning stages of a creative goal, now is the time to put your plans into practice. This is also a great time to brainstorm if you’ve been itching to start up a new creative goal. No matter what stage you’re in in the process, this Beltane season beckons you to get out there and let your creative juices flow!
Backing up this idea, the ingredients in this dish harmonize together to help to nourish you while you are in this space of productivity. Let’s look at a few of the key players below:
Tomatoes: Tomatoes are one of my go-to ingredients when I am looking to infuse a dish with a pop of creative inspiration. They do double intentional duty in this dish; I decided to roast them before they go went into the ragu as a nod to the fiery energy of Beltane.
Bell Peppers: Another fabulous veggie when you are creating a meal geared towards fostering creativity is the bell pepper. Beyond this, peppers can be used to help restore energy to yourself and energize your magic, which is very important when trying to maintain productivity.
Cornmeal: Corn and its adjacent products are one of the quintessential ingredients to use when you want to draw more abundance and fertility into your life. Depending on how you use this ingredient, you can either work this into magic geared towards breathing life into creative endevours or alternatively, to boost your own fertility.
Mascarpone: Dairy products, including cheeses like mascarpone, are a wonderful way to add a nourishing vibe to your magical meals and can be used to draw in further abundance as well.
Pork Sausage: Pork as an ingredient aligns with the element of fire, making it an great option for this dish if eating it at Beltane. Besides this, pork holds intention for fertility, prosperity, and longevity. If you are not a fan of pork, you can absolutely substitute chicken or turkey sausage in this dish, which bring intentions of clarity, focus, motivation, and restoration.
*As a side note, if you wanted to make this dish vegetarian friendly, cannellini beans or chickpeas would absolutely work as a protein option instead of the sausage. Intentionally these ingredients both hold energy for inspiration, prosperity, and luck.
Recipe: Spicy Sausage Ragu with Mascarpone Polenta
Spicy Sausage Ragu with Mascapone Polenta
Ingredients
- 10 oz hot Italian pork sausage, removed from casing *see note (fertility, longevity)
- 12 oz cherry or grape tomatoes (creativity, warding)
- 1 large onion, diced (protection, healing)
- 1 large sweet bell pepper (creativity, energy)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced fine (fertility, strength)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (health, strength)
- 1 tsp dried basil (happiness, harmony)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (beauty, fertility)
- salt, to taste (purification)
- black pepper, to taste (motivation)
- cayenne pepper, to taste (energy, passion)
- 2 cups water (cleansing)
- 3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal (fertility, abundance)
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (abundance, nourishment)
- 1/2 cup parmasan cheese (abundance, prosperity)
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degree F
- Toss whole tomatoes in olive, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to coat evenly and roast in the oven for approximately 12-15 minutes or until blistered.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, saute the sausage, onions, and peppers in olive oil over medium high heat until the sausage is browned evenly and the vegetables are softened and slightly caramelized.
- Turn the heat down to medium low and add in the minced garlic, oregano, basil, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and roasted tomatoes and saute for another 2-3 minutes or until all ingredients are throughly incorporated. Set aside.
- In a medium pot, bring the water to boil, adding salt to taste.
- Once the water is at a boil, slowly add in the cornmeal, whisking continuously to prevent lumps.
- Once all the cornmeal is added, cook polenta for an additional 30-45 seconds, then remove from heat.
- Add in the parmasan and mascarpone cheeses and black pepper to taste and stir to completely incorporate.
- Plate immediately and top with ragu. Add additional parmasan cheese or fresh herbs and enjoy!
Notes
- You may substitute turkey or chicken sausage in this recipe or alternatively, can add beans of your choosing as a protein option and use vegetarian parmasan to make this dish vegetarian friendly.
