Mushroom & Herb Polenta
I'm not that familiar with cooking mushrooms. I don't know what to expect from them, how they should taste, their proper cooked consistency... but I do love this recipe and the more I make it, the easier it gets. I highly recommend ordering De La Estancia Organic Polenta from Amazon - it cooks in 3 minutes and it's not that nasty pre-cooked polenta. I can't find it in stores anymore, which stinks because it's really awesome.
**The mushroom part can be used for other purposes like polenta torta or served over cheese ravioli or some other pasta.
Mushroom & Herb Polenta
from "Plenty" by Yotam Ottolenghi
Ingredients:
4 tbsp olive oil
4 cups mixed mushrooms, very large ones halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed (*I forgot the garlic in the video)
1 tbsp chopped tarragon
1 tbsp chopped thyme
1 tbsp truffle oil
salt and black pepper
2.25 cups vegetable stock
half a cup polenta (instant or traditional)
3 oz Parmesan, grated
2.5 tbsp butter
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary (I skipped)
1 tbsp chopped chervil (I skipped)
4 oz taleggio (rind removed), cut into 3/8-inch slices (I used fontina)
Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add half of the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes, or just until cooked; try not to move them much so you get golden-brown patches on their surface. I’m using chanterelle, crimini, and rehydrated porcini - save the soaking liquid - I have ideas for you!
Remove from the pan, and repeat with the rest of the mushrooms and oil. Off the heat, return all the mushrooms to the pan and add the garlic, tarragon, thyme, truffle oil and some salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Bring the stock to the boil in a saucepan. I'm using part chicken stock, part water, part porcini soaking water. Freeze the rest of the porcini broth, without the gritty stuff in the bottom of the bowl. You can use this to help flavor pasta sauce or more polenta.
Slowly stir in the polenta, then reduce the heat to the minimum and cook, stirring constantly wit a wooden spoon. The polenta is ready when it leaves the sides of the pan but is still runny. If you are using instant polenta, this shouldn't take more than 5 minutes; with traditional polenta it could take up to 50 minutes (if it seems to dry out, add some more stock or water but just enough to keep it at a thick porridge consistency).
*I love using De La Estancia Organic Polenta - I buy it on Amazon in double packs!
Preheat the broiler. When the polenta is ready, stir in the Parmesan, butter, rosemary, and half the chervil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the polenta over a heatproof dish (or not, if you're using a kitchen/brulee torch) and top with the Taleggio slices. Place under the broiler until the cheese bubbles (or use the torch to achieve the same bubbles). Remove, top with the mushrooms and their juices, and return to the broiler for a minute to warm up (or more torching). Serve hot, garnished with the remaining chervil.
