Coaching Cooking

The great polenta makeover has occurred! Monique, my partner in crime, came over and we went to town on the polenta problem. Monique also made a great tuna noodle salad with tuna, mayo, sliced olices, chopped dill pickles (and on and on, it was great and we ate like fiends). So we dined on polenta while enjoying the latest season of Weeds. Woohoo!

First, I cut the polenta into triangles and patted each piece with paper towels to dry them out a bit.

Then, I made a quick mushroom sauce with fresh brown mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. I sliced the mushrooms and sauteed them in butter and chopped garlic in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Then I turned the heat up to high after the mushrooms had cooked through and added a 1/4 cup of 2004 Sauvignon Blanc.

Then, I pan-fried the polenta after coating it with flour. I also used a nonstick pan for this step and added a few tablespoons of vegetable oil. Placing the polenta triangles carefully in the nonstick pan, I sauteed the polenta for a few minutes on each side until the polenta triangles were crispy.

The crispy polenta paired perfectly with the garlic-mushroom-wine sauce. I even made a second batch of the mushroom sauce to add to the rest of the polenta triangles. **Cooking tip**: I recommend adding a few spoonfuls of flour to the mushroom sauce as the wine is reducing. The flour creates a nice thickening and then you have an instant sauce.

Ciao bellas…

Last night’s polenta is about to become today’s star appetizer. The polenta from last night tasted so bland that I found myself eating too many roasted carrots and scarfing down the rib-eye (not that I need encouragement to do that!).

Pan-fried Polenta Squares with Mushroom-Shallot Sauce

Ingredients:

Boring polenta (or store-bought polenta cut into small wedges or circles)
4 tablespoons of flour
2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups of fresh mushrooms (buy a mix of brown mushrooms plus a few expensive ones like porcini, crimini, oyster)
1 large shallot, sliced thinly
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of wine (this is also up to you…I would try any wine that you have on hand as long as it is not too sweet)
2 tablespoons of minced parsley

Directions:

Cut the polenta into 3-inch square pieces. Roll each piece in flour. Heat a nonstick pan and add the vegetable oil. Pan-fry the polenta pieces until they are crisp and brown at the edges. Place them on a paper towel-lined plate and reserve for later. **Note**: the polenta square can be made in advance and reheated in the oven at 350 degrees for about 7-10 minutes.

Wash the mushrooms (**Tip**: you can also brush the mushrooms with a damp paper towel to remove dirt although washing them in cold water does not affect the cooking process). Cut the mushrooms into medium-size slices (about 1/3-inch thick). Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Heat a small, nonstick saute pan on medium-low heat and add the butter. After the butter melts, add the shallots and garlic and saute for a few minutes until the shallots are soft and translucent. Then add the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes. Add the 1/4 cup of wine after the mushrooms are browned. Reduce the mushroom-wine mixture by half, simmering for about 7-10 minutes on medium-high heat.

Serve the polenta pieces hot from the oven and pour the mushroom-wine sauce over the polenta just before serving. Sprinkle the dish with parsley. Enjoy!