Well, I guess one of the things you learn when you grow up is that your parents are only human and aren't always right about absolutely everything, because let me tell you, my mom -- as far as I was concerned -- had completely misjudged poor old polenta. On a trip up to the north of Italy -- near Lake Como -- I found myself at a restaurant with a fixed menu starring polenta -- there was no escaping it. The words "mushy cornmeal!" ringing in my ears, I gave it a try, and...found it was cozy and warming and exactly what I needed on a freezing cold day in December, nothing short of delicious (!!!) I vowed to give it a try myself when I got home. My polenta studies thus commenced (better late than never) and I learned that: it's mild flavor made it the perfect blank canvas for braised beef, sausages, ragù or any other sauce or topping; it could be enhanced with Parmesan or any other kind of cheese; it could be served soft and creamy, or left to cool and harden and be cut into slices or fried; it was a starch that showed you were thinking outside the box instead of reverting to the usual potatoes, rice, or pasta.
But this recipe! Here we have two super simple ingredients -- basic button mushrooms and humble cornmeal -- that combine their forces to make a superb dish. The polenta is thick, creamy, and cozy, both the perfect complement and accompaniment to the hearty, flavor-crazy sauce -- packed with lots of meaty mushrooms, fresh parsley, salty pancetta, and a little dash of white wine. The two, served together with a little grated cheese over the top, is a match made in heaven. Letdown dinner, indeed.
A couple of notes: If you want to make this vegetarian friendly, you can make this without the pancetta. As you know by now I am not a fan of garlic, hence why I saute the full cloves then remove them at the end of cooking. If however you like garlic, feel free to chop 1 clove very finely and add it to the sauce. The sauce is also excellent served over pasta. You can use any kind of mushroom or a mix of any kind of mushroom you want -- I used plain white button mushrooms which worked great. Finally, this is a dish that should be eaten immediately -- the polenta will become become denser and thicker as it cools, which is not exactly what we are going for here.
POLENTA AI FUNGHI
Ingredients for the polenta:
5 cups water
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons butter
Salt, to taste
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Ingredients for the mushroom sauce:
Olive oil
1 pound (500 grams) mushrooms
4 ounces (112 grams) pancetta
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 cup (a good handful) chopped parsley
1/2 cup (112 grams) white wine
1 cup (200 grams) crushed tomatoes
Extra Parmesan cheese, for serving
Directions:
Start with the mushrooms: Cut
the stems off the mushrooms and clean them with a damp cloth to remove
any bits of dirt. Cut the mushrooms into pieces (depends on the size of
the mushrooms, but I kept them bigger) and set aside. In a large pot
over medium heat, heat up the olive oil and add the pancetta and garlic
(as always, I leave the garlic whole here and remove the cloves later as
I do not like a very strong garlic flavor). Once the pancetta is
beginning to crisp up, add the mushrooms and saute them until they are
browned and the water they have released has cooked down and evaporated.
Remove
the garlic cloves from the sauce and discard. Distribute the polenta
into four bowls and top with the mushroom sauce. Serve immediately with
extra Parmesan cheese grated over the top, if you like. Serves 4.
Add
the wine to the mushroom mixture and let it cook down until that has
evaporated, too, about 5-7 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and season
everything to taste with salt and pepper. Put
the heat on very low and cook the sauce for about 30 minutes, stirring
the mushrooms every now and again to make sure they don't stick to the
bottom of the pan. Stir in the parsley.
Add water to a large
saucepan and set over high heat. Sprinkle in cornmeal while whisking (water
does not have to be boiling).
Bring to a boil,
stirring frequently. Let boil, stirring frequently, until polenta thickens
enough that it starts to bubble. Lower heat immediately continue to cook,
stirring frequently with a spoon and scraping bottom to prevent scorching,
until polenta becomes thick and pulls away from side of saucepan. The recipe
from Serious Eats says this should take 50 minutes, but I found for me it took
much less, about 35 minutes – could be that my low tech stove gets a lot hotter
than there stove? In any case, keep an eye on it. When cooked, taste and season
with salt.
Stir in butter or olive
oil and Parmesan. If polenta forms lumps, beat vigorously with a stiff whisk to remove. If
polenta becomes too firm or begins to set, add a small amount of water and beat
in with a whisk until liquid is fully incorporated and no lumps remain.

I LOVE polenta, especially with gorgonzola or toma melted through it! My children are like your mother though: they wrinkle their noses up in disgust when we have it. I can't understand why as there's nothing better when it's freezing outside than a plate of polenta and spezzatino! I love the sound of your mushroom ragu. I have to try to make it soon!
ReplyDeleteCiao!!! Polenta with gorgonzola sounds amazing! And yes I agree it's perfect comfort food :) Make the ragu' and let me know what you think!!
ReplyDelete