Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
Serves 4
For the sautéed mushrooms
- 500 g (1.1 lb) mushrooms (button, oyster, shimeji, whatever you like…)
- a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach (optional but good!)
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 cloves garlic (or a little garlic powder)
- 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 Tbsp) heavy cream
For the polenta
- 400 g (2½ cups) fine polenta
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 2 knobs butter (about 2 Tbsp)
- about 1 liter (4 cups) water (or vegetable stock)
- 1 liter (4 cups) milk (adjust to the consistency you want)
- freshly grated parmesan
- Salt, coarsely cracked black pepper
It’s important to choose fine polenta, which is the best suited to this recipe.
Making the sautéed mushrooms
- Brush and slice the mushrooms. Put them in a skillet over high heat with a little olive oil. So the mushrooms take on a nice golden color, leave them a few minutes without stirring; when they start to smell wonderful, season with salt and pepper, then add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and baby spinach. Once cooked (the spinach and mushrooms are nice and tender), add a knob of butter and stir. Pour in the heavy cream and let it reduce over low heat. When the sauce has reduced but is still creamy, it’s ready; keep warm.
Making the polenta
- In a large saucepan, heat the butter, water and milk (I start with 5 glasses of each, 200 ml per glass, and add the rest depending on the texture I want; at home we like it creamy and not too thick, but it’s up to you). Pour in the polenta very gently, whisking as you go to avoid lumps (lower the heat and watch out for splatters), and cook over low heat, stirring, until smooth and creamy. Cooking time depends on the polenta you have: some are precooked, so it can take 10 minutes, otherwise more like 25-30 minutes. Once cooked (taste it; the little grains of polenta should be fully absorbed into the liquid and tender), add a knob of butter, season with salt and pepper, add the nutmeg and grate in a little parmesan.
Making the egg (optional)
- Put the eggs in a saucepan of lightly salted water. As soon as it boils, count 4 minutes, then turn off the heat and rinse the eggs under cold water to stop the cooking. Peel them very gently and set aside.
Serve the polenta piping hot with the mushrooms and the soft-boiled egg, and dust lightly with parmesan.
Tips and variations
- Polenta is really a last-minute dish if you want to keep it creamy, but if you’d like to make it ahead, you’ll need to loosen it with a little water or milk, stirring vigorously with a whisk over medium heat until it gets back that lovely smooth consistency.
- If you have too much, you can pour the extra into a baking dish and keep it in the fridge to cut into sticks and pan-fry the next day; that’s one dish already taken care of.
- For a dairy-free version, replace the milk with vegetable stock.