Recipes
Creamy Mushroom Polenta
4min read
This creamy and rich mushroom polenta is what we’ll be eating from now until April. The polenta itself gets its flavour and velvety texture from being cooked in plant based milk and vegetable stock - as opposed to just water. The mushrooms, on the other hand, are first cooked until crisp and then simmered in a mixture of white wine, vegetable stock and plant based butter, which creates a rich and deeply flavoured contrast to the creamy and hearty polenta.
Cooking polenta can feel a little overwhelming, mainly due to how many different types of them there are out there. Is polenta bramata (i.e. the coarser grain) the same as polenta fioretto (a finer grain)? And what’s “quick polenta”? And are they really just cornmeal? Those are the main questions that circulated in my brain for a while and which led me to abandon my polenta pursuits. The good news is that you can make creamy polenta with any type of polenta or cornmeal that you find - you just need to cook it accordingly. Coarser grains take longer to cook (around 40-45 minutes), whereas finer grains and “instant/quick” polenta only take 10-15 minutes. The best tip I can give you, which might sound obvious, is to just read the package instructions and to adjust the recipe cooking time accordingly.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Serves
4
Ingredients
Polenta:
440ml plant based milk
310ml vegetable stock or water
110g polenta
30g plant based butter (we used naturli)
½ tsp salt
Mushrooms:
3 tbsp oil
400g oyster mushrooms, torn into pieces
½ tsp salt
70ml white wine
110ml veg stock
30g plant based butter (we used naturli)
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
STEP 1
Start by making the polenta. Add the plant based milk and vegetable stock (or water) to a large saucepan set over medium heat. Bring the milk and stock to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
STEP 2
Slowly pour in the polenta, whilst whisking constantly. Continue to whisk until the polenta thickens, then cook it according to the package instructions (this can range from 10 to 45 minutes), whisking every few minutes or so. The polenta is ready when it is extremely creamy and the grains are tender.
STEP 3
Stir the plant based butter and salt into the polenta. Cover the polenta with a lid while you prepare the mushrooms.
STEP 4
Next, cook the mushrooms. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
STEP 5
Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Stir to coat them in the oil, then let them cook untouched for 4-5 minutes - until crisp and brown on the heat facing side. Stir the mushrooms, then continue to cook them, untouched, for 3-4 minutes - until crisp throughout.
STEP 6
Stir in the salt. Next, add the white wine and cook it down for 2-3 minutes.
STEP 7
Next, stir in the vegetable stock. Simmer the mushrooms in the vegetable stock for 6-7 minutes, until the stock has reduced. Stir in the plant based butter, and continue to reduce the stock for a couple of minutes, until it has thickened.
STEP 8
Stir in some freshly ground black pepper, then taste the stock for seasoning and adjust to taste.
STEP 9
Serve the polenta topped with a spoonful of mushrooms, a spoonful of the thickened stock, freshly ground black pepper and vegan parmesan (optional).
By Valentina Concordia
Valentina is our Food Editor, who dreams up our tasty dishes and recipes for our social channels. She has loads of experience cooking up a storm in Italian kitchens, so it’s no surprise she can’t live without good-quality olive oil (don’t come between her and her olive oil) and fresh pasta.
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