Olde Towne Daphne's "Team Alloro" recipe for the SEEDS' first annual Mamma Mia cook-off!
Polenta con Funghi—Celebrate Italy and Grits! Polenta is a wonderful “comfort food” that can be cooked to a creamy consistency and served immediately, or cooked a day in advance, cut into pieces and grilled until warmed through. This version falls somewhere between these two methods and makes very elegant cheese grits. For the convenience of the cook, prepare the mushroom ragout a day in advance if desired. Make the polenta about 45 minutes before serving time and while it is cooking, gently warm the mushroom ragout. Serve hot or warm. Yields: 4 cups of polenta and 2 cups of ragout. Recipe serves 4, as a light supper entree with a salad, or 6-8 as a side dish. Excellent with grilled quail and a Sangiovase wine.
Mushroom Ragout:
1 oz. dried porchini mushrooms
1 cup dry vermouth
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
3 shallots, minced, or ¼ cup minced red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
½ lb Portobello mushrooms, sliced ¼” thick
½ lb mushrooms, sliced ¼” thick
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Quickly rinse the dried porcini to remove any grit. Soak in vermouth for 30 minutes to soften. Trim and discard the ends of the mushrooms. Slice the caps into ¼” thick pieces and set aside. Mince the shallots, combine with the garlic and set aside. Strain the porcini, reserving the liquid and gently squeeze them to remove excess liquid. Check porchini for grit and rinse lightly if necessary. Rough chop the porcini. Combine the butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan and heat until the butter is melted. Add the porcini and sauté 1 minute. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté several minutes to soften. Strain the reserved vermouth into the pan and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the pan is almost dry, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook 8-10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and the flavors are developed. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. The ragout can be served immediately or refrigerated overnight.
Polenta:
4 T butter
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cups water
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup polenta (Claude’s yellow stone-ground grits!)
1 tsp salt
¾ cup freshly grated parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
Additional freshly grated parmesan to serve at the table
In a sauté pan, melt the butter and add the finely chopped onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes, until onions are soft and slightly colored.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring the water and milk to a boil, add the salt and slowly whisk in the polenta. Whisk and cook the polenta over medium high heat about 20 minutes, until thick and the liquid is absorbed. A little more water may need to be added part way through the cooking process. When the polenta is thick, add the cooked onions and 3/4 cup parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. (The polenta can be refrigerated overnight at this point.) Pour onto a serving platter and top with the mushroom ragout.
Serve with extra freshly grated, Parmigiano- Reggiano or good quality parmesan at the table.
Sources and Tips:
Claude’s yellow corn grits are available at Fairhope Tire, 19526 Greeno Rd (next to Old Thyme Feed), Fairhope (252) 928-5613. The corn is from Illinois and freshly ground by Claude and his family.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is easily recognized by the lettering in the rind of the cheese, and is the best choice of parmesan for cooking or grating for use at the table. Another, less expensive parmesan may be substituted, however, do not use the dried parmesan from a can! Parmigiano-Reggiano can be found at Andre’s Wine and Cheese in Fairhope.
Dried Porcini can be difficult to find locally! Porcini can be purchased from www.amazon.com/gourmet. There is really no substitute for their rich aroma in a dish, but a good quality dried mushroom from South America can be used. Don’t try to substitute an oriental style mushroom. The flavor and texture will not be appropriate.
Do ahead:
Both the polenta and the mushroom ragout can be made a day ahead and gently re-heated at serving time.
If the polenta is cooked until thickened and creamy, it can be gently reheated in a saucepan over medium heat. A tablespoon of water may need to be added to keep it from sticking. Use a heavy bottom pot.
Table Decorations:
Persea palastris, or Red Bay, was used on the table. It is most likely the bay laurel tree from which Daphne derived its name. Many Cajun cooks use the native red bay, instead of the commercially grown leaves of the Laurus nobilis for cooking, especially red beans and rice. Branches can be hung to dry and used when needed in cooking. A source may be in your own garden!
Tuscan fireplace grills are available at www.surlatable.com They can be used in a fireplace to grill over wood. Never use with charcoal briquettes!