CRAVING a traditional quick and easy Italian treat? Once again the Italians have come to the party and given us an ingredient that doesn’t take up time and provides us with a hearty meal with friends.
Polenta, this golden Italian ground maze (corn), is traditionally cooked with a stock or water to give a warm creamy dish served with slow cooked stews or sautéed wild mushrooms.
The dish, from the north of Italy, is now found all over the world and used in combination with seafood, grilled, bbq’d or deep-fried. Polenta is a perfect option for vegetarians without being blanch or boring.
Simple preparation is needed with polenta, however taking your eye off the pot and forgetting to continually stir the mixture with result in hours of scrubbing in the
sink.
Serving polenta hot, or wet polenta as we call it in the kitchen, is a perfect alternative to mash potato and an excellent, lighter compliment to slow cooked lamb shanks.
The bonus with polenta is that any leftover polenta can be spread on a tray and placed in the fridge to set. Once set take a Sharpe knife and slice wedges to be grilled on the BBQ or served with lashings of pesto and Parmesan cheese.
Polenta can however have a bland side to itself. So always look towards mixing richly flavored ingredients into the mixture. My top 5 ingredients would be, Parmesan cheese, mushrooms, olives, pesto and lastly a good knob of quality butter. Once you become familiar with polenta you can use it in baking cornmeal breads and polenta biscuits for a special treat.
When buying polenta choose a fine grain as it takes less time to cook and has a smooth texture when cooked. Instant polenta is equally as good taking 5-8 mins to prepare.
Parmesan Polenta with Mushrooms Recipe
Course: lunch, dinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes20
minutes25
minutesThis week I will share with you my Parmesan polenta with mushrooms which is so simple but so tasty. So lets get cracking. Enjoy!
Ingredients
500 ml of milk
170 g of fine grain instant polenta
Salt and pepper
50 g of finely grated Parmesan cheese
40 g of butter
Good handful of wild mushrooms or flat fields
Olive oil for cooking
Fresh basil leaves
Few shaving of Parmesan cheese to garnish
Directions
- Use a heavy based pot to hold the ingredients and place on a medium heat.
Warm the milk to just below boiling point. - Slowly whisk the milk and pour in the polenta slowly and continue to stir.
- The mixture will become thick and more milk can be added to soften the mixture.
Continue to stir on a low heat for 5 mins as instruction on the packet. - Towards the end add the butter and Parmesan cheese and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Season and adjust the seasoning and consistency. Polenta should be smooth and creamy when cooked.
- Sauté the mushrooms in a hot pan and season with olive oil and salt.
- Spoon the polenta into bowls and top with the warm mushrooms and basil. Add the shavings of Parmesan and a splash of olive oil to finish.
