With apologies to George and Ira Gershwin: You say grits, I say polenta.
Somehow making polenta made me think of the Gershwins’ classic “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off”– people squabbling about inconsequential differences. (If you are not familiar with the depression-era song, here is a link to a glorious 1937 rendition of the song in a duet between Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers: Ginger and Fred: “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off”. It is five minutes you won’t regret.)
But, back to polenta. Polenta is Italian grits. Or, is it?
According to Bon Appetit Magazine, the difference between the two corn products is in the type of corn used and in the extent of the milling of the respective grain. Polenta is (usually) made from yellow corn; grits is (usually) made from white corn. Polenta is milled to be a coarser and chewier grain than grits. Truth be told, though, you can use cornmeal in either dish if you are in a pinch.
I’ve written about polenta before on Blue Cayenne. You can find great recipes on Blue Cayenne here and here. Today’s post is for yet another tasty (and easy) polenta recipe. This one is based upon a Sam Sifton recipe that was published in the New York Times. Here is the link: NYT Creamy Polenta With Mushrooms.
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 C. minus 3 T. whole milk
- 4 1/2 C. water
- 1 t. salt (or to taste)
- 1 3/4 C. polenta (or cornmeal)
- 4 T. unsalted butter (or to taste)
- 1 T. grated Parmesan (or to taste)
- 1/2 ounce dried procini mushrooms
- 1/2 C. water.
- 5 T. cold unsalted butter (cut into cubes and divided)
- 1 clove garlic (peeled and minced)
- 8 oz. fresh mushrooms (sliced thin)
- 1 t. fresh thyme leaves
- 1 T. soy sauce
- 1 T. heavy cream
- 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Garnish with extra cheese, basil, fresh thyme and/or sliced cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- For the polenta: Combine water and milk in a large pot and bring to a high simmer. Add salt and then slowly whisk the polenta into the simmering liquid, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is thick. Lower heat (to low) and continue cooking the polenta for 40 minutes. You need to stir the polenta every 5 to 10 minutes to be sure it isn't clumping. If the mixture gets too thick to stir easily, add more water. (You can add up to 1 cup of water to this recipe if you need to.)
- Stir in the butter and parmesan.
- If you are not going to serve the polenta immediately, cover the pan and set it inside a larger pan of simmering water. You can keep the polenta warm and soft for about an hour this way.
- For the mushrooms: Boil about 1/2 cup of water and pour it over te dried porcini mushrooms. Let the mushrooms sit for about 20 minutes. Then, drain the mushrooms and pat them dry. Roughly chop the mushrooms and set aside. Reserve the mushroom stock.
- Melt 2 T. butter in a large sauce pan. Saute the garlic in the butter being careful not to burn the garlic or make it bitter. Add all the mushrooms and the fresh thyme to the garlic butter and stir. Saute the mushrooms for 3 to 4 minutes. You want the mushrooms to begin to brown. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 C. of the mushroom liquid. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits of mushroom from the bottom of the pan. (Don't discard those mushroom bits; leave them in your sauce.) Continue cooking until the sauce is reduced. I found that the mushrooms absorbed the liquid very quickly at this stage. Turn the temperature to medium-low and whisk in the remaining 3 T. butter. Add the soy sauce, heavy cream and oil to the pan and stir and cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Adjust seasoning and add black pepper.
- To serve, spoon warm polenta into a warmed bowl. Ladle some of the mushroom mixture on top of the polenta. Garnish with additional cheese, sliced basil, fresh thyme and/or sliced cherry tomatoes. Serve and enjoy.
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