Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragu

Being situated so close to the Alps, it isn't surprising the much of the food cooked in Valle d'Aosta is hearty in nature to combat the cold of the mountains.  What may be surprising to many, however, is that pasta does not play a very large role in the cuisine of this region.  Wait, what? Yes, that's right. This part of Italy doesn't use pasta very much.  Instead, the area relies on things like rice and polenta as the starches in their diet. 

For a primi, or first course from Valle d'Aosta, I wanted to make polenta.  In an effort to give us a break from cheese (fontina will make an appearance again tomorrow), I decided to skip the many varieties of polenta that were cooked with cheese.  If these sound good to you, some options are polenta concia, or fonduta over fried polenta.  For my meal, however, I decided to go with another hearty polenta dish: Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragu. This is one that you will either love or hate.  If you aren't a mushroom fan, please, do us both a favor and try another recipe for polenta. 

Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragu

Adapted from Rustico Cooking http://www.rusticocooking.com/valdaosta.htm

(serves 2)

1.  Make the Polenta

*You can also cheat and buy a cooked polenta log or instant polenta.

Ingredients:

6 1/2 cups water

salt

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon butter

Process:

1. Put water in a large saucepan or pot and add salt as you would for pasta.  Bring water to a boil.
2. Slowly pour the cornmeal into the water in a steady stream.  Whisk the cornmeal as you pous it to prevent lumps from forming.
3. Stir for 5 minutes, getting rid of any lumps. 
4. Let the polenta cook for 30 more minutes, stirring occassionally (No need to spend 30 minutes over the stove stirring constantly).  Add butter and stir until melted.
5. Pour polenta onto a greased cookie sheet.  Spread evenly to a thickness of about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch.  Let cool completely (May take several hours).
6. Once cooled, cut into 2 1/2 inch squares.

2.  Make the Ragu

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 pound button mushrooms, chopped (This seems like a lot, but they will shrink down when cooked)

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 shallot, minced

1 tablespoon Italian parsley, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine (beef broth would also work here)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Process:

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, shallot, and parsley.  Cook for 5 minutes.
2. Deglaze pan with wine (or brother).  Let cook for 5 minutes or until the wine has evaporated. 
3. Add salt, pepper, and cream.  Cook for 5 minutes, or until the cream has reduced by half.
4. Add Parmigiano, stir until incorporated, and remove from heat.

3.  Put it all together

1. Preheat oven to 500.
2. Brush polenta squares with olive oil and grill over a high flame for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. Arrange the grilled polenta on a greased baking sheet and top with mushroom ragu.  Bake at 500 for 5 to 8 minutes.  Serve hot.

Turns out this was simple to make.  I was pretty scared about making the polenta, but it's as easy as making pasta.  As far as taste, the polenta has little flavor of it's own, and just picks up the flavor of whatever you are cooking it with.  It is very spongy though, and sticks easily to anything you cook it on.  My kitchen saw a couple of casualties last night in trying to get the polenta off of the grill.  So make sure you grease any pans liberally.  

Ryan's rating of Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragu - 4.

Comments

[Jeanne]

When you were making your polenta, how long did it take to cool on the cookie sheet this time? I suppose I would have to plan ahead, unless I want to cheat...

[Sue]

I let it sit for around 3 hours, but it was definitely cool before that. The longer you let it sit the easier it is to work with, so you can let it sit for an hour or so and it will be cool, but make sure you are careful when handling it so that it doesn't break apart.