Herb Polenta with Mushrooms

Polenta is a nutritious corn-based dish that is good for Pitta since corn can be a bit drying. However, adding a topping that is suitable for Vata or Kapha can make polenta digestible for all doshas.

Note that two types of polenta meal (or cornmeal) are available – a quick or instant variety and the traditional, slow-cooking one. For most purposes, I find that the quick polenta is good enough. Either one can be used for this dish.

The dish here makes a soft polenta. You may wish to double the quantity, as it is always good for snacks!

 

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil 

1 cup mixed mushrooms, huge ones, halved

2         garlic cloves, crushed, or 1 tsp of hing

1 tbsp chopped tarragon

1 tbsp chopped thyme 

1 tbsp truffle oil

500 ml        vegetable stock

80 g (½ cup) polenta (instant or traditional)

80 g (1½ cup) parmesan, grated

30 g (2 tbsp) ghee

1 tsp finely chopped rosemary

1 tbsp chopped chervil

100 g (⅔ cup) Taleggio (rind removed), cut into 1 cm slices

        salt and black pepper

Directions:

Heat up half the olive oil in a large frying pan. Once hot, add half of the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes or until just cooked; try not to move them much so you get golden-brown patches on their surface. Remove from the pan, and repeat with the rest of the mushrooms and oil. Off the heat, return all the mushrooms to the pan and add the garlic, tarragon, thyme, truffle oil and some salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan. Slowly stir in the polenta, then reduce the heat to the minimum and cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon. The polenta is ready when it leaves the sides of the pan but is still runny. If you are using instant polenta, this shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes; with traditional polenta, it could take up to 50 minutes (if it seems to dry out, add some more stock or water but just enough to keep it at a thick porridge consistency). 

Preheat the grill to high. When the polenta is ready, stir in the Parmesan, ghee, rosemary and half the chervil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the polenta over a heatproof dish and top with the Taleggio. Place under the grill until the cheese bubbles. Remove, top with the mushrooms and their juices, and return to the grill for a minute to warm up. Serve hot, garnished with the remaining chervil.

Inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi.