Name: Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Sage
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2-3
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 ½ c veggie or chicken stock ( or sub water with 1 tsp salt, or sub 2 cups of the stock with milk); 1 cup polenta ( ground corn meal); optional -1/2 cup cheese ( goat cheese, white cheddar, parmesan, romano) or leave it out!; 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or butter; 1/8 tsp white pepper; salt to taste; 1/ 2 teaspoon Truffle oil ( optional); 2 cups wild mushrooms (chanterelles or morels) or sub button mushrooms, cremini, miatake, shittake or portobellos); 1-2 T oil or butter; 1 shallot, diced; 2-3 cloves garlic, rough chopped; 1 T fresh sage ( or sub rosemary or thyme); finishing salt; Garnish- drizzle of truffle oil ( optional- but worth it! )

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Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Sage. A simple healthy dinner that can be made in under 30 minutes. Comforting and delicious! Vegan Adaptable and Gluten free.

Creamy Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Sage. A simple EASY dinner that can be made in under 30 minutes. Comfort food that is vegetarian and gluten-free! | Creamy Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Sage. A simple EASY dinner that can be made in under 30 minutes. Comfort food that is healthy, vegan adaptable and gluten-free! | #polenta #creamypolenta #mushrooms #morels #chanterelles #mushroompolenta #polenta #vegan

Mmmmmmmmm…..what is better than a comforting bowl of mushroom Polenta?

This recipe for Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Sage is cozy and comforting, perfect for the cooler months of spring or fall, when wild mushrooms are ready for the picking.

This can be made with wild mushrooms like chanterelles or morels if you have access to them –or tame, store-bought mushrooms, like shiitake, miatake, portobello, cremini or even simple button mushrooms. Add cheese for extra richness or keep it vegan!

In late spring I seek out morels, and in fall, I opt for Chanterelles. Both grow wild here in the Pacific Northwest. Chanterelles live among the trees, in the dense and foggy forests of Douglas Firs and Western Hemlocks. Woody and earthy with a hint of fruitiness, their texture is meaty yet tender. Both morels and chanterelles are difficult to cultivate, so most of the fresh chanterelles and morels you see at farmers markets and grocery stores, truly are “wild”.

And this is what makes wild mushrooms so special. Somehow you can’t help but feel the woody forest they came from.

To me there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of mushroom polenta, no matter what the season.

For extra richness you could top it with a poached egg, or shaved parmesan.

The reason I love this recipe, is the flavors are so simple that it really allows the unique flavor of wild mushrooms to shine.

They are delicious with pasta and risotto, in quiches, omelets or lasagna, where they are not overwhelmed by too many other ingredients. They can get lost easily so I try to make them the focus of whatever I am making with them.

When paired with a creamy bed of soft polenta, to me they are the perfect comfort food. A simple easy weeknight meal that feels so elegant and luxurious.

For the fasting cooking I use a finer grain of corn meal.

How to cook wild mushrooms:

If using chanterelles…make sure they are a nice golden apricot color. They should be firm to touch and have no dark or wet parts on them. Their gills should look clean and in tact.

A tip: when buying them, try to pick chantrelles that look clean and that have less of a pocket at the top and this will make your job of cleaning them much easier. Then use a brush ( like a basting brush) to gently brush away any debris. Try not to get them wet.

The nice thing is they are growing in popularity, so they are becoming mush easier to find. They are not inexpensive, but worth a splurge at least once a year.

I have found that the best way to cook wild mushrooms is either to sauté them or simply roast them in the oven with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and serve with simple ingredients so their flavor and texture are highlighted.

How to cook polenta:

Polenta is basically an Italian dish made from ground cornmeal. It’s cooked into a porridge and seasoned with olive oil or butter, cheese and herbs. Below is a basic recipe for Creamy Polenta that you can modify based on your preferences.

You can also make polenta in an instant Pot!

This basic Creamy Polenta recipe works well in other applications too … for example serve with braised short ribs, or pan-seared prawns, grilled Salmon or halibut or even as something as simple as roasted veggies. It’s a good recipe to tuck away because it goes with so many things.

Once your polenta is cooked.. now it’s time to have fun. Experiment with different cheeses and add a little butter. If you are vegan you could try adding olive oil and nutritional yeast which will give a nice richness.

I added goat cheese (because it was what I had on hand). Any meltable cheese would work. Some of my favorites with creamy polenta are parmesan, romano, cheddar, gorgonzola and smoked gouda. You can even use sour cream or mascarpone.

Then taste for salt. Because cheeses have different saltiness, the amount of salt you will need will vary. If you used a flavorful stock you may not even need much salt. But most likely you will need a little.

And here is a lovely ingredient that will elevate your polenta. White Pepper!

After you have stirred in your olive oil or butter or cheese and your polenta is creamy and seasoned to your liking, place it in bowls with a generous amount of sautéed mushrooms over top. If you are feeling extra luxurious, drizzle a little truffle oil just before serving. Then inhale.

Mushroom Polenta – simple elegant weeknight meal that comes together so easily! I hope you love this as much as I do!

Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Sage

Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Sage. A simple EASY dinner that can be made in under 30 minutes. Comfort food that is healthy, vegan adaptable and gluten-free! |

Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Yield: 2-3 1x
Category: Vegetarian Main, gluten-free,
Method: stove-top
Cuisine: Italian

Scale

Ingredients

Polenta

4 ½ c veggie or chicken stock ( or sub water with 1 tsp salt, or sub 2 cups of the stock with milk)
1 cup polenta ( ground corn meal)

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optional -1/2 cup cheese ( goat cheese, white cheddar, parmesan, romano) or leave it out!
1–2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1/8 tsp white pepper
salt to taste
1/ 2 teaspoon Truffle oil ( optional)

Mushrooms

2 cups wild mushrooms (chanterelles or morels) or sub button mushrooms, cremini, miatake, shittake or portobellos)
1–2 T oil or butter
1 shallot, diced
2–3 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1 T fresh sage ( or sub rosemary or thyme)
finishing salt
Garnish- drizzle of truffle oil ( optional- but worth it! )

Instructions

To make the creamy polenta, heat 4 1/2 Cups of flavorful stock (or salted water or use part milk) in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn heat down to low or off to avoid getting splattered. Gradually add 1 C polenta to the hot liqud while whisking vigorously to avoid any clumping. Cover and let cook on very low heat for 20 mins before adding any “fats”. Somehow this allows the polenta to “open up” . If you are using a course polenta you could cook longer. You could even cover the pot and stick in a 350F oven for 45 min-1 hour. You can stir every 5- 10 minutes if you want, but I normally just cover it leave it without a stir and it is just fine.
When the polenta has cooked, then add your choice of olive oil, or butter, optional cheese, white pepper, and adjust for salt.
To cook the mushrooms, heat oil over med heat, add shallots, garlic and mushrooms, cook 6-7 minutes until mushrooms release their liquid, lowering heat if necessary. Add the sage leaves right at the end and cook for on minute. Season with salt and white pepper.
Serve atop your bed of delicious creamy polenta.
Drizzle with Truffle oil if you want.

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Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Sage. A simple EASY dinner that can be made in under 30 minutes. | #polenta #creamypolenta #mushrooms #morels #chanterelles

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