Polenta con Funghi | The Foodie Pilgrim

By John, 9 November, 2020

Region

Description

Polenta with Mushrooms This is a humble classic dish of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta, in the mountainous northwestern corner of Italy.

Mushrooms are common in the cooking of the mountain regions, especially in the fall and winter months. Here, a mix of varieties is sauteed and served atop a hearty polenta enriched with a bit of aromatic local Fontina cheese.

Yield

4 Servings

Preparation time

45 minutes

Ingredients

10 c Fresh Mushrooms (sliced)

2 t Shallot (sliced)

1 oz Salt

4 oz Boiling Water

2 oz Dried Mushrooms

1 T Fresh Parsley (chopped)

1 c Polenta

2 oz Fontina Cheese (chopped)

Instructions

Boil 4 cups of water and the salt in a pot big enough to cook the polenta.
While the water boils, saute the shallots and the fresh mushrooms.
Soak the dried mushrooms in a cup of very hot water from the boiling pot for 15-20 minutes.
Drain the mushrooms and pour the mushroom-soaking liquid back into the boiling pot.
Chop the reconstituted mushrooms and stir them into the sauteed mushrooms, along with the parsley, and reduce the heat to just enough to keep it hot.
When the water boils, stir in the polenta according to the instructions on the package.
When the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pot, reduce the heat and stir in the Fontina. Keep stirring while it melts.
Put the finished cheesy polenta on a platter and top with the mushrooms. Add pepper and salt if needed. Serve hot.

Notes

Instant polenta, if it is just "precooked corn" in the ingredients, is fine. It cooks much, much faster and is easier on the arms and shoulders. For the dried mushrooms, use porcini if you can get them. A light drizzle of truffle oil is nice.

Source

Traditional