Deep Roasted Mushrooms and Creamy Polenta
Ingredients
For the polenta:
- 1 cup polenta or stone-ground coarse cornmeal
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp butter
- ¾ tsp salt
For the roasted mushrooms:
- 1 lb baby bella mushrooms or a mix with cremini and shiitakes
- few sprigs thyme
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 cup sherry
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- salt and freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
For the Polenta:
- Add 4 cups of cold water and 1 cup of milk into a 3 Qt. pot. Stir in the polenta and the salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high high, stirring often. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the polenta stirring occasionally, until it is tender, 45 to 60 minutes. The polenta will swell and thicken as it cooks. If it gets too thick before it's finished cooking, stir in more water as needed. To finish, stir in the butter. Taste, and add more salt as needed.
For the Mushrooms:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Clean and quarter mushrooms. Trim off the very bottom end of the stems and discard. Quarter the mushrooms (if necessary).
- On a 9- by 13-inch baking sheet, combine the mushrooms, thyme sprigs, shallots, garlic, sherry, and olive oil. Season with a big pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Toss to distribute everything evenly, then spread in a an even layer. Cover pan loosely with foil, transfer pan to the oven, and cook for 30 minutes.
- Remove pan from the oven and raise the heat to 450° F. Remove the foil. Holding the mushrooms in the pan with a spatula, drain the juices into a small saucepan and set aside. Spread the mushrooms out again, return pan to the oven, and roast until the mushrooms are beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes longer, stirring after about 10 minutes.
For the Sauce:
- Bring the juices to a gentle simmer. Let the juices reduce slowly while the mushrooms finish cooking—they don't need to reduce by half or any particular amount, but the flavors will concentrate as it simmers/reduces. When the mushroom are nearly done, add the tablespoon of butter to the juices. When it has incorporated into the juices, taste them. Adjust seasoning as needed with more salt or butter to taste.
To Serve:
- Ladle polenta into bowls. Then spoon mushrooms over top and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.
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Deep Roasted Mushrooms and Creamy Polenta
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients
For the polenta:
- 1 cup polenta or stone-ground coarse cornmeal
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp butter
- ¾ tsp salt
For the roasted mushrooms:
- 1 lb baby bella mushrooms or a mix with cremini and shiitakes
- few sprigs thyme
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 cup sherry
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- salt and freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
For the Polenta:
- Add 4 cups of cold water and 1 cup of milk into a 3 Qt. pot. Stir in the polenta and the salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high high, stirring often. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the polenta stirring occasionally, until it is tender, 45 to 60 minutes. The polenta will swell and thicken as it cooks. If it gets too thick before it's finished cooking, stir in more water as needed. To finish, stir in the butter. Taste, and add more salt as needed.
For the Mushrooms:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Clean and quarter mushrooms. Trim off the very bottom end of the stems and discard. Quarter the mushrooms (if necessary).
- On a 9- by 13-inch baking sheet, combine the mushrooms, thyme sprigs, shallots, garlic, sherry, and olive oil. Season with a big pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Toss to distribute everything evenly, then spread in a an even layer. Cover pan loosely with foil, transfer pan to the oven, and cook for 30 minutes.
- Remove pan from the oven and raise the heat to 450° F. Remove the foil. Holding the mushrooms in the pan with a spatula, drain the juices into a small saucepan and set aside. Spread the mushrooms out again, return pan to the oven, and roast until the mushrooms are beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes longer, stirring after about 10 minutes.
For the Sauce:
- Bring the juices to a gentle simmer. Let the juices reduce slowly while the mushrooms finish cooking—they don’t need to reduce by half or any particular amount, but the flavors will concentrate as it simmers/reduces. When the mushroom are nearly done, add the tablespoon of butter to the juices. When it has incorporated into the juices, taste them. Adjust seasoning as needed with more salt or butter to taste.
To Serve:
- Ladle polenta into bowls. Then spoon mushrooms over top and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.
