Gorgonzola Polenta With Fresh Porcini Recipes

GORGONZOLA POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring 4 cups salted water to a boil. Slowly add 1 cup instant polenta, whisking. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring, until thick and creamy, 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter, 1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola, 1 tablespoon chopped oregano and a dash of nutmeg. Top with more cheese and some pepper.

GORGONZOLA POLENTA WITH FRESH PORCINI

Steps:

• In a skillet heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and brown mushrooms with salt to taste, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add water and simmer, covered, 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender. Remove lid and simmer mixture 3 minutes, or until liquid reduces slightly. Stir in parsley and lemon juice and keep warm.
• Stir 1/2 cup Gorgonzola into warm polenta until smooth. Divide polenta among 4 plates and spoon mushroom mixture on top. Tear remaining Gorgonzola into small pieces and sprinkle over each serving.
• Garnish polenta with parsley.
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.

POLENTA WITH GORGONZOLA CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 1 3/4 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, you can switch to a wooden spoon for easier stirring.
• Turn off the heat. Add the butter, cream and Gorgonzola and stir until the cheese melts. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the polenta to a bowl and serve.
• Note: If you're making the polenta ahead of time, put it on a double boiler and cover it with plastic wrap to keep it warm.

BRAISED BROCCOLI AND PORCINI WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• Soak porcini in 2 cups boiling water for at least 10 minutes.
• At the same time, heat olive oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallot and slowly saute until soft and juices have been released, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove porcini from the water and use a damp paper towel to remove any grit. Reserve soaking water.
• Add porcini to the Dutch oven with miso paste and yeast extract. Stir well and reduce heat to a simmer.
• Add broccoli; put floret heads facing down and stem pieces nestled in so they are touching the bottom of the pot. Layer radicchio slices evenly on top. Pour in wine without disturbing the vegetables. Cover and simmer, occasionally shaking the pan gently, for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water, vegetable broth, and salt to a boil. Sprinkle fistfuls of polenta into the boiling liquid while stirring constantly so clumps don't form. Continue to stir in polenta until completely added. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, until polenta is thick and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Strain the reserved soaking water, twice if necessary, to remove any sediment.
• Pour 1/2 of the soaking water into the Dutch oven with the broccoli. Gently shake the pot and use a wooden spoon to carefully loosen the florets without breaking them apart. Gently fold vegetables over until coated with cooking sauce. Continue to simmer, uncovered, occasionally shaking the pot. Cook until broccoli is tender but still firm to the touch and radicchio is completely wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour polenta onto a lightly oiled polenta board and spread it evenly over the board. Use a slotted spoon to gently spoon vegetables over the polenta.
• Pour remaining soaking water into the Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Make a slurry with the remaining water and cornstarch; pour into the Dutch oven while whisking constantly. Cook until sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour sauce over the broccoli and polenta or serve on the side.

POLENTA WITH GORGONZOLA

Steps:

• Bring milk and whipping cream to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk polenta into milk mixture in slow steady stream. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook polenta until creamy and tender, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat broiler. Transfer cooked polenta to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Sprinkle Gorgonzola cheese over polenta. Broil until cheese melts. Sprinkle with chopped toasted walnuts and serve immediately.
• *Polenta (coarse yellow cornmeal) is available at Italian markets, natural foods stores and some supermarkets. If unavailable, substitute 1 cup regular yellow cornmeal, and cook mixture for about 12 minutes rather than 20 minutes.

POLENTA AND GORGONZOLA

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, saute garlic in oil for 1 minute. Add stock; bring to a boil.
• Sprinkle cornmeal in while stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir constantly, over low heat, until polenta begins to pull away from sides of pan, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add cream and butter; stir until incorporated. Stir in Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
• Place 1 slice of Gorgonzola in each of six soup bowls. Add polenta, and top with Wild Mushroom Ragout. Garnish with rosemary and serve.

POLENTA GRATIN WITH GORGONZOLA CHEESE

Steps:

• For polenta: Butter 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
• Bring water, sage, olive oil and salt to boil in medium saucepan.
• Gradually add cornmeal in thin stream, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Cook until cornmeal slowly falls off lifted spoon, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes.
• Immediately spread polenta in prepared dish; smooth top.
• Cool completely (can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate).
• For sauce: bring milk, bay leaves, cloves and allspice to boil in medium saucepan.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Simmer 10 minutes.
• Melt butter in another medium saucepan over moderate heat.
• Add flour.
• Whisk until smooth and bubbling (do not brown), about 2 minutes.
• Strain milk mixture into flour mixture, whisking until smooth; add gorgonzola and whisk into sauce until melted.
• Cook until thick, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg (can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
• Spread ½ cup of the sauce on the bottom.
• Cut polenta into 2 inch squares that are ¼ inch thick.
• Cut each square in half horizontally.
• Place squares in baking dish, overlapping edges slightly.
• Pour remaining sauce over.
• Sprinkle with grated Parmesan (can be prepared 1 hour ahead).
• Bake until polenta is heated through and top is golden-brown, about 50 minutes.
• Cool 10 minutes before serving.

GORGONZOLA POLENTA BITES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine vinegar and marmalade. Bring to a boil; cook 5-7 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons., Meanwhile, place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Press both sides of polenta slices in bread crumbs. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add polenta in batches; cook 2-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown., Arrange polenta on a serving platter; spoon cheese over top. Sprinkle with currants if desired; drizzle with vinegar mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PORCINI-CRUSTED PORK WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• Process mushrooms in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a shallow bowl; stir in salt and pepper. Press 1 side of each pork chop into mushroom mixture., In a large ovenproof skillet coated with cooking spray, heat oil over medium-high heat. Place chops, mushroom side down, in skillet; cook for 2 minutes. Turn over; cook 2 minutes longer. Bake, uncovered, at 375° until at thermometer inserted in pork reads 145°, 20-25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving., Prepare polenta according to package directions for soft polenta. Stir in cheese and rosemary. Serve with pork chops.

POLENTA WITH GORGONZOLA

Steps:

• Bring stock and buttermilk to boil in covered pot.
• Slowly stir in the polenta and nutmeg, and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring often, until polenta has thickened.
• Stir in the Gorgonzola thoroughly, and season with salt and pepper.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH GORGONZOLA CHEESE

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine water, sea salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and slowly stir in the polenta until it is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Add the cream, Gorgonzola, salt and pepper to the polenta and stir until the cheese melts. Season with more salt and pepper to taste and serve.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH MUSHROOMS AND GORGONZOLA

Steps:

• For polenta, in 4-quart saucepan, heat broth, cream and 1/2 teaspoon salt just to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; very slowly beat in cornmeal with whisk. Continue to beat constantly 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring once after 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions brown on edges and soften. Add bell pepper; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until pepper softens and begins to brown on edges. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until mushrooms release juices, juices absorb and mushrooms brown. Stir in kale; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until wilted. Add wine; stir constantly, scraping up browned bits, 1 to 2 minutes or until liquid is almost completely absorbed.
• Divide polenta among 4 plates. Top each plate with about 1 cup vegetable mixture; sprinkle with cheese.