Creamy polenta with wild mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes

I loved this recipe which is straight out of Light and Healthy 2010 by America's Test Kitchen. It was earthy, warm, comforting. The one thing I didn't like was how juicy the dish became. Some juice is necessary but this was a lot, and I think it may have to do with the first part of cooking the mushrooms covered. When I make this again, I will cook the mushrooms on high heat w/out salt until they are softened and browned and then add salt at the end.

Serves 4

For the topping:
2 pounds cremini mushrooms, halved if small, quartered if large
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, minced after being reconstituted
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces baby spinahc
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
Black pepper

For the polenta:
4 cups water
salt
1 cup coarsely ground cornmeal
1/2 cup Parmesan, divided
1 T unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
black pepper

For the topping, compile cremini mushrooms, onion, oil, porcini mushrooms, rosemary and 1/4 tsp salt in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stir occassionally, until the vegetables are softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to medium-high and continue to cook, stirring occassionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes.

Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach, one handful at a time, and cook until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until just softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside off the heat to keep warm.

Meanwhile, bring water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slowly add cornmeal, whisking constantly in a circular motion to prevent clumping.

Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring often and vigorously, making sure to scrape the corners of the pot, until all the polenta becomes soft and smooth, 10 to 15 minutes. Off the heat, vigorously stir in half the cheese and all the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the polenta among 4 bowls. Divide vegetable mixture evenly among bowls, arranging it on top of the polenta. Sprinkle each portion with remaining cheese and serve.

Blueberry Cornmeal Scones

Photos by TSW

Cooking is about creating memories which is why it is so much more fun with friends. More important than the end result, is the process of cooking, being present in the moment, and creating a collection of memories. Everything about cooking, the camaraderie, scents, ingredients, instantly makes me nostalgic, mindful of the power of the past, and hopeful about the future. It's amazing how potent memories are.

I had forgotten how much fun it is to cook with others, especially with folks that know how to cook or at the very least, enjoy the process. With a new friend, we made blueberry cornmeal scones for the aforementioned brunch. It was his vision and he had really thought about it so I went with it. I'm kind of a rigid cook partly because I want everything to be super successful so I find myself in uncharted territory when I go out on a limb. But it's 2008, and with all the changes I've made in other aspects of my life, cooking should be no exception. Plus, since as the sous-chef, it was not my role to say anything but to really just follow along. The scones were fabulous and showed me how to have fun in changing things up.

We followed the recipe I used for blueberry scones, and made the following modifications:

-2 1/4 c flour and 3/4 c polenta
-2/3 cup full fat raw milk +1 tbs
-1/2 cup blueberries (frozen are fine)
-1/2 cup corn kernels

So I used a little more liquid than what is called for and the dough was more moist than usual because I used less flour (2 1/4 vs 3 c). Polenta does not absorb liquid as much so....but it turned out fine. You may want to start with 1/3 cup and add more in as you go.

See the corn kernels? Don't these look better than the ones I previously blogged about? These were as scones should be...crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Coffee would be the perfect mate I think.

Cook and create your own memories!