Polenta is synonymous with northern Italy, especially the regions of Veneto and Friuli. In its most basic form cornmeal is simmered with water and salt until creamy and soft. Butter or cream may be added at the end of the cooking and some recipes call for the polenta to cool until set before it is cut into pieces and fried. In this version we keep the texture of the polenta soft and finish it with butter. Northern Italy is known also for its array of mushrooms, which we think make the perfect pairing for creamy polenta; seek out a mix of wild mushrooms if you can.
Polenta with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 12 oz mixed wild mushrooms
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ½ cup coarsely ground polenta
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup grated Asiago cheese
Directions
1) Tear mushrooms into bite sized pieces. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and cook for 6 minutes, or until softened. Alternatively, Roast in Suvie at 450°F for 15 minutes, or until softened.
2) While the mushrooms cook, whisk 2 ½ cups water, 1 tsp salt, and polenta together in a Suvie pan.
3) Once the mushrooms have finished cooking, season with ½ tsp salt, transfer to a Suvie pan, and insert into your Suvie. Place polenta in your Suvie, input settings, and cook now or schedule.
Suvie Cook Settings
Bottom Zone: Slow Cook Low for 4 hours
4) After the polenta has finished cooking, remove from your Suvie and whisk in butter (if polenta still seems too thick, whisk in up to ½ cup water, 1 tbsp at a time).
5) Season polenta to taste with salt and pepper, and divide between shallow bowls. Season mushrooms with red wine vinegar. Top polenta with mushrooms and asiago cheese.
Note: If you would like to make this recipe in Suvie 1.0, insert pan into the top zones of Suvie, fill reservoir, and set to Slow Cook on Low for 4 hours.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information per serving (2 servings per recipe): Calories 340, Total Fat 20g, Total Carbohydrates 29g, Total Sodium 1520mg, Total Protein 15g
These instructions are confusing. The polenta goes in the bottom with slow cook but then why do the mushrooms go in a Suvie pan? Do they need to get cooked more? I wish instructions were more clear, fool-proof, idiot-proof.
Hi Sarah, Suvie always applies the same cook settings to the top and bottom zone when Slow Cooking. Suvie never asks for the top zone setting when Slow Cooking because the time and temperature are predicated on whatever settings you use for the bottom zone. Suvie automatically sets the top zone once you input the settings for the bottom zone so you don’t have to input anything. The mushrooms and polenta cook at the same time and temp in Suvie. Hope that clarifies the situation!
Yes! That clears things up. Thank you!