Crisp Polenta with Mushrooms

Name: Crisp Polenta with Mushrooms
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onions; 3 cloves garlic, finely minced; 3 pounds of mixed mushrooms (preferably a wild variety, maitake, trumpets, chanterelles, etc.) cleaned and torn or cut into 1-inch pieces; 1/4 cup dry white wine; 1 cup heavy cream; 2 Tablespoons coarsely chopped Italian parsley; 1/2 cup shredded Pecorino cheese (or Parmesan); 3 cups water; 3/4 cup yellow corn meal; 1 teaspoon Kosher salt; 1/4 cup grated Pecorino cheese (or Parmesan)

Polenta is so versatile and can be served soft right after it is cooked on the stovetop or it can be formed and chilled to create a firm cake that can be crisped in hot oil. In this recipe I serve crisp polenta with wild mushrooms in a white wine-cream sauce.

There are many options that can be used to flavor polenta. Some of my favorite additions are chopped herbs, grated cheeses (Gruyère and Parmesan being a few favorites), crushed nuts and roasted vegetables.

I use Quaker yellow cornmeal in this recipe because it is a pretty finely ground. If you choose to use a coarser ground corn meal (stone-ground), it will take significantly longer to cook.

Polenta Ingredients:

Here are the ingredients used to make the polenta: yellow cornmeal, water, Kosher salt and grated Parmesan cheese.

Cooking the Polenta:

Combine 3/4 cup of water with the corn meal and salt. Whisk till smooth.

Boil the remaining 2 1/4 cups of water over high heat. At a boil, whisk the softened cornmeal into the water, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Cover and reduce the heat to low, continuing to cook for 5 minutes.

Forming the Polenta:

Line the inside of an 9-inch square baking pan with plastic wrap. A trick to getting the plastic to stick to the pan is to get the pan wet, pour off excess water, and then form the plastic to the pan. The water helps to adhere the plastic to the pan.

Pour the polenta into the plastic-line pan and spread it into an even layer. Gently cover with another sheet of plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Cutting the Polenta:

Remove the plastic wrap cover and quickly (and decisively) invert the pan onto a cutting board.

Cut the polenta into desired shapes (rectangles, squares, rounds, crescents, etc.). I am cutting this batch into diamond shapes. Notice that I am cutting 9 diamonds out of this pan (since I only need 4 servings). If you are preparing the recipe for 6 people, you would need 12 diamonds, so cut 4 strips (instead of 3) and cut each strip into 4 diamonds.

Crisping the Polenta:

Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the remaining olive oil, spread it around in the pan and carefully lay the firm polenta shapes in the pan to sear on one side.

When the first side has browned (about 2 minutes) flip the shapes over to brown the other side for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain briefly on a paper towel.

Mushrooms and the Sauce:

I love to use wild mushrooms in this dish (Chanterelles, Black Trumpets or Maitake are some of my favorites), but any mushroom can work from plain Button mushrooms and Criminis, to Portabellas and Oyster mushrooms

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Add the diced onion and stir for a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook briefly, stirring.

Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, allowing the mushrooms to brown. Cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and cook for 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream, stir and reduce the heat to low, and gently reduce the sauce.

Plating the Dish:

Place a few of the crisped polenta shapes on the plate (prop them up against each other for height). Top with a spoonful of the mushroom mixture and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and Pecorino cheese. Serve immediately.

Watch the Video:

Here’s the Recipe: