Thursday, February 22, 2018

New York Times Polenta with Mushrooms

So I'm on a listserve for the New York Times Cooking column which means I routinely receive great photos for yummy looking food in my inbox. Like polenta with mushrooms. This recipe, although tasty enough, served to confirm the fact that polenta is not for me. It's corn mush in my books, basically because it's made of corn and it's mushy. Give me some sauteed mushrooms on toast any day.

Ingredients:
  •          1 ¾ cups polenta or cornmeal
  •          4 tablespoons unsalted butter, or to taste
  •          1 tablespoon grated Parmesan, or to taste
  •          ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  •          5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pats, divided
  •          1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  •          8 ounces fresh mushrooms, wild or cultivated, sliced thin
  •          1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  •          1 tablespoon soy sauce
  •          1 tablespoon heavy cream
  •          1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  •          Freshly ground black pepper

·     Methods: 
       Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover them with about 1/2 cup boiling water. Allow to steep for 20 minutes. Remove the rehydrated mushrooms, pat dry, then chop roughly. Reserve the mushroom stock.

       Make the polenta as per the directions on the package of cornmeal you have purchased. The NYTimes instructions were overly complex in my view. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter and the parmesan. Taste for seasoning. 

       Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a sauté pan set over high heat until it has melted. Add the garlic and cook until it starts to sizzle without letting it brown. Add the fresh and reconstituted mushrooms and thyme to the pan, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, turning until browned. Add about 1/4 cup of the mushroom stock to deglaze the surface, using a wooden spoon to scrape at the browned bits. Allow the stock to reduce by half, then turn the heat to medium-low and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, along with the soy sauce, cream and olive oil. Allow the  mixture to cook until it thickens a little. Taste for seasoning, adding black pepper, if desired. Put the polenta in a warmed bowl, then top with mushrooms and the sauce. Serve immediately

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