Wild Mushroom And Parsnip Ragout With Cheesy Polenta Food

SAUTEED WILD MUSHROOMS OVER CREAMY CHEESY POLENTA

Steps:

• Mushrooms:
• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high. When the olive oil is hot add 2 sprigs of rosemary and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the rosemary and add the shallots.
• Cook the shallots until translucent, about 4 minutes, then add the mushrooms and saute until they release their liquid, about 8 minutes. Stir in the white wine bring to a simmer about 3 minutes.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes. Transfer the mushrooms to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped parsley.
• Polenta:
• Heat the olive oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add the onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to boil, then add the oregano and basil. Slowly pour in the polenta and stir constantly until the polenta thickens. Stir in the heavy cream and fontina and mix until you have a smooth and creamy texture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the polenta to a serving dish and garnish with Parmesan and chives.
• Shrimp:
• Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
• Devein the shrimp by cutting down the back with scissors and removing the vein. Leave the shrimp in the shell. Use your fingers to separate the shell from sides of the shrimp and add them to the marinade. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour. Set the grill temperature for medium-high and let it heat up. Put the shrimp on the grill and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Reduce the remaining marinade on a side burner in a small pan. Remove the shrimp to a platter. Drizzle with the reduced marinade and garnish with scallions.

WILD MUSHROOM AND PARSNIP RAGOUT WITH CHEESY POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium. Add onion, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to release moisture and turns translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add parsnip and cook until parsnip begins to soften, 3-5 minutes more. Add mushrooms and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and cook until mushrooms are well-browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes more.
• Add miso, tomato paste, and 3/4 tsp. salt to pan and cook, stirring, until tomato paste begins to caramelize, about 1 minute. Add cornstarch and stir to coat, about 30 seconds. Add wine and cook, scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to release brown bits, then add 1 1/2 cups room-temperature water. Bring mixture to a simmer, continuing to scrape bottom of pan and adding water by the tablespoon if pan starts to dry out, and cook until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 10-12 minutes. Taste and season with salt if needed.
• Meanwhile, cook polenta, 5 cups milk, and 1 tsp. salt according to package directions. When polenta thickens, stir in 1/4 cup cheese. Taste and add salt and milk, if needed.
• Transfer polenta to a large serving bowl. Top with mushroom ragout, remaining 1/4 cup cheese, and hazelnuts.

WILD MUSHROOM RAGOûT ON CRISPY POLENTA WITH COMTE CHEESE

Steps:

• For polenta:
• Generously butter 13x9x1- inch baking sheet. Bring milk, broth, and bay leaf to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove saucepan from heat; cover and let steep 20 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Discard bay leaf. Bring liquid to boil. Gradually add polenta, whisking constantly until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until polenta is very thick, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in Comté cheese and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer polenta to prepared 13x9x1-inch baking sheet. Using wet hands, press polenta evenly over sheet to edges. Chill until firm, at least 3 hours. Cut polenta into 20 squares. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• For mushroom ragout:
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons oil in large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add all mushrooms and sauté until tender and browned, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add shallots and balsamic vinegar; sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Season lightly to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Rewarm mushrooms in large skillet over medium-high heat until heated through. Add broth and simmer 1 minute. Stir in crème fraîche and half of parsley. Season mushroom ragout to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°F. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add polenta squares to skillet and cook until browned, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven while cooking remaining polenta squares.
• Arrange 2 polenta squares on each plate. Top each with warm mushroom ragout; sprinkle with grated Comté cheese and remaining parsley and serve.
• MORE INFO:
• Comté is a semi-firm, Gruyère-style cow's-milk cheese made primarily in France's Franche-Comté region. It adds great flavor to this recipe and would also be delicious on a cheese platter. Comté is available at some supermarkets, cheese shops, and specialty foods stores.
• *Polenta can be found at some supermarkets, as well as at natural foods stores and Italian markets. If polenta is unavailable, substitute an equal amount of regular yellow cornmeal and cook it about half as long.

POLENTA WITH WILD MUSHROOM RAGOUT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F Spray a 3-quart casserole dish or clay cazuela with cooking spray (like PAM) and set aside. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and set that aside, too.
• In a large deep skillet, heat 3 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic and rosemary, stirring occasionally until the onion is softened.
• Add mushrooms and salt to taste, and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, for 10 minutes or until the liquid the mushrooms gives off is evaporated.
• Stir in tomato paste and the wine, and boil until most of the liquid is evaporated.
• In a small bowl stir the cornstarch into the broth, add the mixture and the Worcestershire sauce to the mushroom mixture and bring it to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and set aside.
• In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the water with 1 Tbsp olive oil to a boil and add 1 cup of the cornmeal, a little at a time, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low, add the remaining 1 cup cornmeal in a slow stream, stirring constantly, and bring mixture to a boil. Remove pan from the heat and with a wooden spoon stir in the butter, 2/3 cup of the parmesan, the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Spread 1/3 of the polenta on the sheet pan to 1/4 inch thick, and chill for 20 minutes, or until it is firm. While it is chilling, working quickly, spread half the remaining polenta in the prepared casserole dish or cazuela, top it with half the mushroom ragout, and top the ragout with the mozzarella. Spread the remaining polenta quickly over the mozzarella and top with the remaining ragout.
• Invert the polenta sheet onto a work surface and with one or more cookie cutters, cut out as many pieces as possible. Arrange the pieces decoratively on the ragout and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. (*The dish may be prepared up to this point and refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days.).
• Bake uncovered in the upper third of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the polenta pieces are golden.

POLENTA WITH WILD MUSHROOMS AND VEGETABLE RAGOUT

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in skillet large enough to hold all the ingredients. Add onions and cook until they are soft and golden, about 10 minutes.
• Add the wild and domestic mushrooms with the garlic, marjoram and thyme and cook until mushrooms soften and release their juices.
• Meanwhile in another skillet, heat remaining oil and saute peppers until soft.
• Crush tomatoes in your fingers before adding to peppers, with tomato liquid, and cook over low heat until mushroom mixture is ready.
• When mushrooms are softened, add the wine and cook over medium heat to slightly reduce liquid.
• Combine contents of both pans and use to top polenta. This can be made a day ahead.
• To serve, heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Divide both polenta and sauce in half. Use two 10-by-15-inch glass baking dishes. Using half of polenta and half of sauce, spoon a third of sauce in bottom of one baking dish . Arrange half of polenta slices over the sauce. Spoon another third of sauce over polenta. Top with remaining polenta and then with remaining sauce. Repeat with second dish and remaining ingredients.

MUSHROOM RAGOUT OVER SOFT POLENTA (ITALIAN)

Steps:

• Mushroom Ragout:.
• Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
• Add garlic, shallot, parsley, basil and dried pepper flakes and saute until garlic and shallots are a light yellow color (about 3 min).
• Add mushrooms and toss.
• Pour wine or water over mushroom mixture and season with salt and pepper.
• Turn down heat to low, cover and stir occasionaally until mushrooms are reduced and water has been completely absorbed (about 20 min).
• While mushrooms are simmering start the polenta.
• Stir in fontina cheese and stir until cheese has melted.
• Polenta:.
• Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a dutchoven and add the chopped onion and saute until transulsant.
• Pour in the 3 cups of broth add the salt and bring to a boil.
• Pour in the cornmeal stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes stirring often.
• Stir in cheese.
• Quickly turn into a large shallow bowl.
• Pour mushroom mixture over top, and sprinkle with additional parsley.
• Serve immediately.

WILD MUSHROOM RAGOUT OVER CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak the dried porcini in 1 cup warm water until soft, about 20 minutes. Remove, squeeze gently, and chop coarsely. Discard water, and set mushrooms aside.
• In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt butter with olive oil. Add shallot and garlic, and cook until slightly soft, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add porcini, and saute 1 minute. Add cremini, and cook 1 minute more. Turn up heat to medium high, and add remaining mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add chopped rosemary, and stir gently until mushrooms are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and carefully add Cognac (you'll have some flames). Return pan to heat, and allow the alcohol to cook off, about 1 minute. Serve hot over creamy polenta.

CREAMY POLENTA & MUSHROOM RAGOUT

Steps:

• Soak the dried mushrooms in 150ml warm water. Set aside for 20 mins, then drain and squeeze, reserving the soaking liquid. Heat the butter in a large frying pan. When sizzling, add the shallot and cook for a few mins until soft. Add the garlic and thyme leaves, cook for 1 min more, then turn up the heat and add the soaked mushrooms. After 1 min, add all the other mushrooms and fry over a very high heat for 5 mins until soft. Splash in the red wine and boil rapidly for 1 min. Pour in the stock and reserved mushroom liquid, and simmer for 15 mins until you have a thickened stew. Turn off the heat.
• For the polenta, bring the milk to the boil with 500ml water, the bay and thyme. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 mins, then fish out the herbs and bring back to the boil. Add the polenta in a steady stream, whisking steadily. Cook for 1 min until thickened, then stir in the butter and Parmesan. Spoon a 'crater' of polenta onto a baking tray and fill with the ragout. Top with slices of Taleggio, place under a hot grill until melting and oozy, then let everyone help themselves.