Creamy Polenta With Wild Mushrooms
Yield: 2 servings as a side dish
For polenta:
1 cup water, plus more as it cooks
½ cup milk
½ cup polenta
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste
For mushrooms:
¼ lb (or more) wild mushrooms, roughly cut into pieces
2 Tbsp butter, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp porcini powder*, rehydrated with ½ cup warm water
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
* To make porcini powder, pulverize a store-bought package of dried porcini into powder with a spice grinder. Chicken or vegetable stock may be substituted for porcini powder.
Over medium-high heat, bring water and milk to simmer in a medium-sized sauce pan or pot. Slowly add polenta while whisking to prevent clumping. Season with salt and continue to whisk for a minute or two. Turn heat to low and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water as necessary to maintain creaminess.
While the polenta cooks, in a small pan sauté garlic and mushrooms in a tablespoon of butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook mushrooms until they release their water and then cook off liquid, allowing mushrooms to brown slightly; this might take several minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add ½ cup rehydrated porcini stock (or chicken or vegetable stock) to mushrooms. Continue to cook on medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half and then turn heat to low. Add soy sauce, cream and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir together and allow to thicken. Keep warm in pan over low heat while waiting for polenta to cook. If sauce becomes too thick, add another splash of water, cream or stock. Just before plating, melt one more tablespoon of butter into mushroom sauce and stir.
When polenta is thoroughly cooked and creamy, add butter and cheese (and more liquid if necessary). Adjust seasoning. Serve in a bowl and spoon mushrooms and sauce on top.
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