Cookbook Adventures: Week 2
On Wednesday night I made Gorgonzola Polenta with Spinach and Exotic Mushrooms from Simple Vegetarian Pleasures. It sounds amazing, but Steve and I were both underwhelmed with the dish. The strong cheese flavors did not come through as I had expected. I've included the recipe below as well as some notes on what I might do in the future.
The Vegetables
2 tablespoons of olive oil
6 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 pound assorted exotic and common mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster, cremini, and white button), wiped clean and sliced (about 4 1/2 cups sliced)
1 pound fresh spinach, stems discarded and leaves washed
salt to taste
The Polenta
3 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup of diced Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
1. Bring the water to a boil in a medium-size, heavy bottom saucepan.
2. Meanwhile beat the oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds. Immediately drop in the mushrooms and toss well. Cook, tossing often, until the mushrooms render their juices and begin to brown.
3. Pile on the spinach, toss, then cover the pan. Cook until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes. Remove the cover and season with salt to taste. Keep the vegetables warm while you make the polenta.
4. When the water boils, add the 1/4 teaspoon salt, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Very slowly drizzle in the cornmeal, whisking all the wile with a wire whisk. Cook the polenta about 5 minutes or until it pulls away from the sides of the pan. Keep whisking often to keep it smooth.
5. Drop in the butter and cheeses and stir until just blended.
6. Spoon some polenta onto each serving plate, then top with some of the vegetable mixtures and its juices.
If I were to make this again I would make a few changes, possibly using a different blue cheese (and a bit more of it) as well as adding more vegetables to the dish (i.e. tomatoes or squash). I would also bake the polenta in the oven, rather than using the stove top. I'm not sure how much of a difference that would make overall, but I typically bake polenta in a casserole dish in the oven. Finally, this would not be my main dish, but rather on the side of herbed chicken.
The Vegetables
2 tablespoons of olive oil
6 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 pound assorted exotic and common mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster, cremini, and white button), wiped clean and sliced (about 4 1/2 cups sliced)
1 pound fresh spinach, stems discarded and leaves washed
salt to taste
The Polenta
3 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup of diced Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
1. Bring the water to a boil in a medium-size, heavy bottom saucepan.
2. Meanwhile beat the oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds. Immediately drop in the mushrooms and toss well. Cook, tossing often, until the mushrooms render their juices and begin to brown.
3. Pile on the spinach, toss, then cover the pan. Cook until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes. Remove the cover and season with salt to taste. Keep the vegetables warm while you make the polenta.
4. When the water boils, add the 1/4 teaspoon salt, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Very slowly drizzle in the cornmeal, whisking all the wile with a wire whisk. Cook the polenta about 5 minutes or until it pulls away from the sides of the pan. Keep whisking often to keep it smooth.
5. Drop in the butter and cheeses and stir until just blended.
6. Spoon some polenta onto each serving plate, then top with some of the vegetable mixtures and its juices.
If I were to make this again I would make a few changes, possibly using a different blue cheese (and a bit more of it) as well as adding more vegetables to the dish (i.e. tomatoes or squash). I would also bake the polenta in the oven, rather than using the stove top. I'm not sure how much of a difference that would make overall, but I typically bake polenta in a casserole dish in the oven. Finally, this would not be my main dish, but rather on the side of herbed chicken.
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