Creamy Polenta with Caramelized Mushrooms and Shallots

This caramelized mushroom and shallots over creamy polenta is easy, quick, only uses two pans, and features shiitakes from the Foraged Feast, but any mushrooms would work well in this dish.

The mushrooms

Ingredients

8 oz shiitake mushrooms

Fresh sage leaves (about 10 whole leaves)

3-4 Shallots

2-3 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced)

Olive oil

2 tbsp butter

Splash of white wine (about 1/4 cup)

Salt & Pepper

Directions

1. Set your oven to 400F.

2. Thinly slice the mushrooms and shallots into slivers.

3. Spread them out evenly across a large well-oiled sheet pan.

4. Evenly distribute the sage leaves across the pan.

5. Drizzle with more olive oil, toss everything to lubricate, and then spread everything out evenly again in the pan.

6. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Bake at 400F for 15 mins.

8. Remove from the oven and add the butter, a splash of white wine if you have it, and the sliced garlic. Toss, and spread evenly again in the pan.

9. Bake for another 10 minutes until fragrant and nicely caramelized.

The Polenta

Ingredients

3 cups whole milk

3 cups stock

1 cup of grated Provolone Picante

4 tbsp butter

1 cup of cornmeal

salt to taste

Directions

1. Bring the milk and stock to a low boil in a heavy duty pot.

2. Slowly add the cornmeal and stir in gradually. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

3. This recipe requires a bit of constant attention, as you'll want to continually stir the polenta so it doesn't clump up and stick to the bottom of the pot.

4. After about 25 minutes, add the cheese, butter, and salt. You can adjust with more liquid if you find it too thick.

5. After another 5 minutes, the polenta should be nice and creamy. It will firm up as it cools down.

6. Remove from the heat.

The final plate

1. Ladle a big spoonful of polenta into each bowl.

2. Top with the mushrooms and shallots. The sage will now be wonderfully crispy and can be used as an edible garnish on each plate.

3. Finish each plate with fresh cracked pepper and more grated cheese of your choice.