I can’t fit all of the main ingredients into the title without it looking ridiculous, so here’s the full glory of it:

Grilled Polenta with Butternut Squash, Arugula Pesto, Caramelized Onions, Honey Goat Cheese, and Chives. Whew. It feels good to get that out of my system.

I’ve been toying with the idea of a polenta cake of some sort for a few weeks, and the blustery April winds had me hankering for a spring-like pesto fiesta. I recently found that butternut squash and caramelized onions are the dream team of sweet vegetable combos, so all of the pieces just sort of fell into place. Honey goat cheese? That’s just an obvious choice.

The saltiness of the pesto works really well with the sweetness of the ingredients, and the spicy punch of arugula helps to round it all out.

Don’t overdue it on the pesto (or the garlic within the pesto) or else you’ll miss out on the more subtle squash and onion undertones, which can’t be beat. This would also be great with some roasted corn kernels mixed into the polenta.

Grilled Polenta with Butternut Squash and Arugula Pesto

1.5 c butternut squash, cut into 1″ cubes
1 T chopped fresh sage
S & P
olive oil
2 med onions, sliced into very thin half moons
1 t white sugar
2 c cooked polenta (creamy, not firm)
1/4 c grated parmigiano
2 oz honey goat cheese (the sweetness of this is really spectacular)
1/4 c fresh pesto (I made mine with almonds, arugula, spinach, basil, parm, salt, and garlic)
1 handful of arugula
1 T chopped chives

Start by caramelizing the onions, which takes a very long time and shouldn’t be rushed. Heat your cast iron or Dutch oven pan over medium heat with some oil or butter (enough to coat the bottom). Add the onions, saute for a minute, then turn down to med-low and cook for 40-60 min, stirring frequently. Heat your oven to 400 and coat the squash with oil, S & P, and the chopped sage. Bake for 30 min on an ungreased cookie sheet, or until brown. Smash each piece lightly with a fork. In a bowl, combine the polenta, parmigiano, and squash and mix until incorporated. Heat a pan over med heat, form the polenta into 3″ cakes and pan fry until golden. On each plate, layer a polenta cake with pesto, onions, arugula, goat cheese, and a sprinkling of chives.

Note on polenta: I got mine pre-cooked in a little tube at the store. Don’t be daunted if yours is cooked and firm– it is easy to get it back to a creamy state. Put it in the microwave with some milk and salt for about 2 minutes and mash it altogether with a fork. Voila!