Dishing Up the Dirt

Wild Mushroom Polenta Bowls

This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. All opinions are my own.

I love this time of the year. The chanterelle mushrooms are going off, the days are cool and crisp, the sun has been shining and we’re finally starting to wind things down at the farm. I honestly think October is my favorite month of the year for all the bountiful food, beautiful weather and shorter work days. It really doesn’t get much better than this brief and special time of the season.

The mushrooms featured in this recipe were harvested from our friend Colin and I’m beyond excited to head out into the woods with him next week to go mushroom hunting. He’s a damn pro and I don’t have much experience in the woods foraging for these guys so I’m so thankful he’s offered to take me out on an adventure. Ever since we completed our Local Thirty challenge it’s been hard to not keep going with this local thing! Discovering new landscapes and food systems right in our backyard has been so powerful. I have a wrap up post coming in the next few weeks about the whole Local Thirty month and I’m excited to share some of the lessons learned along with the not so glamorous moments, and the folks we met along the way. This challenge really ended up being one of the highlights of our year and I’m excited to share more in depth stories with you all soon.

In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy this simple recipe as much as we did. With minimal ingredients this sure was packed with bold flavors. My kind of meal! Pour a glass of wine, grab a fork and dig in.

Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm

Polenta with Wild Mushrooms

Prep Time: 10 minutes    Cook Time: 45 minutes    Serves: 4

Polenta
  • 4 1/2 cups vegetable stock, bone broth or water
  • 1 cup polenta (corn grits)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated cheese (we used a local parmesan style cheese but any hard, salty cheese will work)
  • salt and pepper to taste
Roasted Mushrooms
  • 1 1/2 pounds mixed wild mushrooms, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 6 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and place a rack in the upper third of the oven.
  2. In a medium sized pot over high heat, bring the stock to a boil, reduce heat to low and slowly pour in the polenta. Whisk vigorously with a wooden spoon until all the polenta is stirred in and there are no clumps.
  3. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook and stir until the polenta thickens up a bit but is still fairly loose, about 5 minutes.  Cover and cook until the polenta is thick and creamy, about 30 minutes. Stir the polenta every 5 minutes with a wooden spoon. The polenta is done when the mixture is creamy and the individual grains are tender (see note)
  4. Remove the polenta from the heat, stir in the butter and cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. While the polenta cooks prepare the mushrooms. Place the mushrooms, herbs, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat everything and transfer the mushrooms to the oven and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until tender. Toss the mushrooms halfway through cooking. Once mushrooms are tender crank the heat to 500F. Continue to cook the mushrooms until crisp around the edges, about 5-7 minutes longer (keep a close eye on them so they don't burn)
  6. Divide the polenta between bowls and top with the mushrooms. Sprinkle with additional cheese and more salt and pepper to taste

Notes

*Depending on the grind of your polenta cooking times will very so check individual packaging for information


Leave a Reply

2 thoughts on “Wild Mushroom Polenta Bowls

  1. Vickee says:

    Can you use the polenta that comes in a log found in the aisles of a market? I think its cooked

  2. Kathleen @ Produce On Parade says:

    Polenta and mushrooms are so wonderful together! Definitely going to give this one a go. What a beautiful dish, Andrea!

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