Food Makeover: Remaking boring polenta
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!
April 4th, 2007 at 9:12 am
I love to do something like this, but with rosemary. The flavors really complement each other.
April 5th, 2007 at 1:51 am
Mm. My favourite polenta recipe right now (which is unmakeable because I can’t eat anything with polenta til after Passover) is to make a mincemenat/vegie/chili caserole mix then top it with a polenta crust and bake. I make it very spicy and very yummy and I’m suddenly very hungry for it!