Roasted Mushrooms With Creamy Polenta Recipes

ROASTED MUSHROOM POLENTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400ºF.
• Trim off and discard any tough stems from the mushrooms (such as those from shiitakes). Cut or tear the caps into roughly 1-inch pieces. Arrange the mushrooms on a baking sheet (parchment-lined for easy clean-up). Drizzle with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. (I use a teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt for a pound of mushrooms.) Toss to combine, then spread into an even layer. Transfer pan to the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until done to your liking. Remove pan from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 375ºF.
• Meanwhile, prepare the polenta: In a large, wide, shallow oven-safe skillet, bring 5 cups of water to a simmer. While whisking constantly, slowly pour the polenta into the water in a steady stream. Whisk for a couple of minutes or until the polenta is incorporated. Turn the heat to the lowest setting. Add a teaspoon of kosher salt. (I use 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, but I love salt, so add to taste.) Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the polenta is thick and the grains are tender. Stir in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Taste, being careful to let the polenta cool before you do so. Adjust with more salt and pepper to taste. (I add a sprinkling of sea salt at this point.)
• Remove the polenta from the heat. Spread the mushrooms in an even layer over the polenta. Sprinkle the thyme over top. Season with pepper to taste. At this point, if you wish, you can sprinkle the parmesan over top. (See notes above if you wish to use cream instead or omit the cheese altogether.)
• Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until bubbling at the edges. Shave more parmesan over top if you wish. Serve immediately, passing salt, pepper, and more parmesan on the side. I like drizzling my bowl with a little bit more olive oil, too.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to a boil. While whisking, slowly pour in polenta. Continue whisking for a minute to prevent any clumps from forming. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring once every few minutes and scraping down the sides.
• Once the polenta is tender, stir in butter, cheese and more salt to taste (may not be necessary - taste before adding more salt).
• While the polenta is cooking, heat a skillet to medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook dry for a few minutes to release moisture. Some mushrooms have more moisture. If you're using shiitake mushrooms (like we did), you can skip this step and add the butter first.
• Once some of the moisture has evaporated, add butter and half of the wine. Let simmer. Add salt and continue cooking until the mushrooms start to get crispy. Add the remaining wine to deglaze the pan. Continue cooking until evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in fresh parsley and more salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon polenta into a bowl and top with mushrooms, more herbs, cheese and pepper. Enjoy hot.

MUSHROOM FRICASSEE WITH CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the 6 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring, until the shallots just begin to color, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 2 minutes. Add the Chicken Reduction, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by half and has a saucy consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the preserved truffles (if using). If the mixture thickens too much -- you want the mushrooms to be swimming in the sauce but there should be a mushroom in every bite -- add 2 tablespoons of the Chicken Reduction to thin it out a bit. Stir in the chives and crushed red pepper.
• Divide the Creamy Polenta among serving bowls. Top with the mushrooms and their cooking liquid and serve immediately.
• Heat a convection oven to 425 degrees F or a conventional oven to 450 degrees F.
• Rinse the chicken bones and pat them dry. Spread them out on two rimmed baking sheets in a single layer with a little room between the bones. Roast until golden brown, about 1 hour, flipping and turning the bones every 15 minutes or so.
• In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the rosemary and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the celery, onion, and carrot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are well browned, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, and cook, stirring, until some of the juices evaporate, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until almost all of it has evaporated. Add the chicken bones (with juices and drippings) to the stockpot, then add enough water to cover everything by about 2 inches (about 6 quarts). Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium to cook at a gentle simmer, stirring often to break up the bones and emulsify the fat, until the chicken is falling off the bones and the stock has a full flavor, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove the chicken bones and strain the broth several times through a chinois or other fine-mesh strainer. If you want to make and use the reduction right away, spoon off any visible fat floating on top of the stock. Otherwise, chill the stock until the fat solidifies on top, and then scrape off and discard most of it.
• Pour the defatted stock into a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat slightly so the stock is not boiling so furiously. As the stock simmers, some of it will remain on the sides of the saucepan; use a spoon or ladle to pour some of the stock over this to deglaze it. (This will further increase the intensity of the flavor.) Continue simmering until the stock has darkened, thickened, and reduced to about 4 cups, about 30 minutes. The reduction can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Yield: 4 cups
• In a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the cream and milk until warm, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the salt and keep whisking until the liquid is very frothy (like a cappuccino) and hot. While still whisking, slowly rain the polenta into the pot. Continue to whisk until the granules swell, about 8 minutes. At this point, switch to a wooden spoon to stir the polenta. (It will get too thick for the whisk.) Keep stirring until the polenta has begun to thicken, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until it evenly begins to bubble. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until cooked through and the liquid has reduced, about 1 1/2 hours. The polenta might look "done" sooner, but it does continue to soften, so be patient. During this time, a skin might form on the bottom of the pan, which is fine.
• Just before serving, raise the heat to medium-high, stir in the butter and the cheese, and cook, stirring, until the butter is melted, then take the pot off the heat. If the polenta looks thin, don't worry, as it will thicken as it cools. Yield: 8 to 10 servings

MUSHROOM POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms, season with salt and brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon each butter and fresh thyme and 1 minced shallot; cook 30 seconds. Meanwhile, simmer 3 cups mushroom broth and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Whisk in 3/4 cup quick-cooking polenta; stir until thickened, 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Top with the mushrooms, chopped parsley, more Parmesan and pepper.