So, Corn Polenta is this rustic, Italian staple which is very basic on its own and gives you a great canvas to pair it flavours of your choice. In this case, it's the Mushroom Ragout. Ragout is a fresh-style braised stew which primarily is done in France during Summers. The flavours of this dish are predominantly Mediterranean and Rustic and that's what mama loves!
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| Corn Polenta & Creamy Mushroom Ragout with Herbs |
- 1 Cup Corn Polenta or Corn Meal
- 1 Packet (about 200 grams) of Button Mushrooms or mixed mushrooms - Diced coarsely
- 1 Cup Chopped Onion
- 9-10 Cloves of minced Garlic
- 1 Chopped Green Chilly
- 1/2th cup of chopped fresh herbs - I used Parsley and Basil. Feel free to add thyme if available
- 2 Spoons of Cream Cheese (use heavy cream if you don't find Cream Cheese)
- 1/2 Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese or Cheddar (for Polenta)
- 2 Spoons of Butter (for Polenta)
- 2 Spoons of BEST Quality EVOO
- Salt & Pepper to taste.
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| Beautiful Aromas, Earthy Flavours and a Pair made in Heaven |
Recipe:
- Let's begin by cooking Polenta -- In a sauce pan, boil 4 cups of water and season with salt. Whisk in Polenta slowly, while ensuring there're no lumps. Be patient since Polenta thickens a lot and takes a while to cook. Keep whisking and cook on medium heat for about 30-35 minutes or until you can see a smooth, porrige-like consistency. Taste to ensure it's done. You will know when it's done. Take it off the heat once done, and stir in 1/2 of the herbs, cracked pepper, 2 spoons of Butter and 1/2 a cup of Parmesan Cheese. Fold everything well until your polenta looks creamy, smells divine and tastes just perfect. As an after-thought, I even stirred in 3-4 cloves of minced garlic lightly sauteed in olive oil which added awesome kick to polenta.
- For the Mushroom Ragout: Sweat Garlic, Chillies and Onions in a pan with EVOO and add mushrooms when onions are nice and brown.
- Salt the mushrooms and see them sizzle. Keep the heat high since we want them to retain maximum flavour. Once nice and tender (about 3-4 minutes of cooking) add your Cream Cheese and 1/2 a cup of water to make a nice stew. Fold in your herbs and season with Black pepper to finish the Ragout.
- Serve Polenta hot with a small slice of butter on top (it's traditional!) and piping hot Mushroom Ragout on the side. Trust me on this one, you are going to sleep in bliss!!
