Mushrooms and Tomatoes Take Two

This post is going to look a bit similar to Wednesday's post. Last night I made, in my and my boyfriend's opinions, some of the best polenta ever. I mean off the charts, for cornmeal that is. It was packed with flavor, and the texture contrasted the other items of the dish superbly. Dinner consisted of Parmesan Polenta with Truffled Mushrooms, Preserved Tomatoes (recipe already posted) and Sauteed Spinach. Even better, the meal was simple to prepare, especially with having already prepared the Preserved Tomatoes. Trust me, this is one that you can make at home.

Parmesan Polenta: Yields 4 Servings
2 T butter, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry polenta (cornmeal)
2 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil

1. Heat 1 T butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sweat for 1-2 minutes. Stir in polenta, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and tender. If mixture becomes too thick before cooking completely, add a small amount of additional water or stock as needed. Stir in Parmesan.
2. Line a 9x12 inch pan with parchment paper. Pour polenta into prepared pan, spreading to cover evenly. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.
3. When set, pull parchment out of pan. Cut polenta into desired shape (circle, square, triangle, etc), allocating two pieces per person.
4. In a non-stick skillet, heat remaining T of butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Pan fry polenta until golden, about 1 minute per side. Lightly sprinkle with salt.


Truffled Mushrooms: Yields 4 Servings (This is the same recipe as Sauteed Mushrooms, just with the addition of 1-2 teaspoons of truffle oil at the end)
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick
salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 t truffle oil

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and thyme, cooking 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
2. Add mushrooms. Cook until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are brown, stirring occasionally, about 6-7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in truffle oil before serving.



I warned you that this was simple. I've had to find ways to get big flavor in a short amount of time for little money. So far, so good! Next week will be some fun cooking again. I am making at least two dinners, a big batch of pesto (to freeze) and cornmeal scones. Woah now. Must learn to control my cooking craziness! Enjoy the weekend and happy cooking.