Mushroom & Herb Polenta Recipe Demo: Yotam Ottolenghi - Mushroom Ragu with Truffle Oil over Polenta

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor with fewer calories.

butter

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Olive oil provides healthy fats while margarine is often less expensive.

Chop fresh tarragon and measure dried thyme.

Measure truffle oil.

Chop cleaned mushrooms (chanterelle, cremini, and rehydrated porcini).

Save the soaking liquid from the porcini mushrooms.

Heat half the olive oil in a hot pan.

Add half the mushrooms with the thickest pieces sticking to the bottom of the pan for a good sear.

Place thinner pieces on top of the thicker ones.

Once cooked through, remove that batch from the pan.

Repeat with the second half of the oil and the remaining mushrooms.

Turn off the heat and add the first batch of mushrooms back to the pan.

Add herbs and truffle oil, along with salt and pepper; stir together.

Cover to keep warm and set aside.

Start with boiling water, chicken stock, and some porcini soaking liquid in a pot.

Add polenta a little at a time, whisking to avoid clumps.

Stir continuously for 40-plus minutes for a traditional polenta texture.

Cook until the polenta is thick and pulls away from the sides of the pot.

Add cheese and butter to the polenta and cook a little more until it pulls away from the sides.

Spread the polenta onto a platter and place slices of cheese on top (using fontina instead of Taleggio).

Use a tiny torch to melt the cheese instead of broiling.

Top the polenta with the mushrooms and warm them up with the torch or by broiling.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens