Polenta Cakes With Mushroom Ragu Recipes

CRISPY POLENTA CAKES WITH CHERRY-AND-MUSHROOM RAGU

Steps:

• Bring water and milk to just below a boil in a medium saucepan over high. Reduce heat to low, and whisk in polenta, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic, and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 3 minutes.
• Spoon polenta mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan lined with plastic wrap. Top with another layer of plastic wrap, and press mixture into an even layer in pan. Freeze until set, about 45 minutes.
• While polenta sets, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high until sizzling. Add mushrooms; cook, undisturbed, until bottoms have browned, about 4 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned all over, about 8 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add shallot, thyme, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in vegetable broth, balsamic, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is well blended, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in Brussels sprout leaves and cherries, and cover to keep warm.
• Turn polenta mixture out onto a cutting board, and cut into 4 (3-inch) circles using a round cutter. (Reserve remaining polenta mixture for another use.) Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high; swirl to coat. Add polenta cakes to hot oil, and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes per side.
• Place 1 polenta cake on each of 4 plates; top each with 3/4 cup of the cherry-mushroom ragu.

CRISPY POLENTA CAKES AND TOMATO MUSHROOM RAGU WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE

Steps:

• Before You Cook If using any fresh produce, thoroughly rinse and pat dry Cooking Guidelines To ensure food safety, the FDA recommends the following as minimum internal cooking temperatures: Steak and Pork 145° F (rest cooked meat, 3 minutes) | Seafood 145° F | Chicken 165° F | Ground Beef 160° F | Ground Turkey 165° F | Ground Pork 160° F 1 Prepare The Ingredients Stem, seed, remove ribs, and cut red bell pepper into 1/2" dice.Slice polenta into 1/2" slices.Quarter mushrooms.Halve tomatoes.make a slurry with1 tsp. of cornstarch (reserve remaining for polenta). 2 Make The Filling Place a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tsp. olive oil. Add mushrooms and peppers to hot pan and stir occasionally until browned, 4-6 minutes.Add garlic salt, tomatoes, 2 Tbsp. water, and tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes. 3 Add Ingredients Add cooking wine and slurry and bring to a simmer.Transfer mixture to a bowl and tent. Reserve pan; no need to wipe clean. 4 Fry The Polenta In the same pan over medium heat, add 3 tsp olive oil. Dredge polenta cakes in remaining cornstarch. Working in batches, add cakes to hot pan and cook until golden brown, 5-7 minutes per side. Remove from heat and season with a pinch of salt (use a total for 1/4 tsp salt for all cakes). 5 Finish The Dish Plate dish as pictured on front of card, topping polenta cakes with ragout mixture and balsamic glaze. Bon appétit!

POLENTA CAKES WITH MUSHROOM RAGU

Steps:

• Gather your ingredients.
• Heat the 4 cups of vegetable broth in a saucepan on high heat until boiling. Add the polenta, lower heat to medium, and cook, whisking occasionally until it is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk in the cream, parmesan cheese and butter and continue cooking until the butter is melted. Take off the heat and allow to cool for a minute.
• Grease a small sheet pan with cooking spray and pour the polenta into the pan. Smooth the polenta with a silicone spatula so it sits evenly in the pan. Allow to cool and then cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Remove the polenta from the refrigerator and cut into 8 equal-sized squares or rounds. Use a biscuit cutter if cutting into rounds. Lightly dust both sides of each cake with flour.
• Preheat oven to 200 F. Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat and add half of the olive oil. When the oil is warm, place 3-5 of the polenta cakes in the pan and cook each side until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Add the rest of the oil and repeat with the remaining cakes. Place the cooked cakes in the oven to keep them warm while you prepare the ragu. Alternatively, you can prepare the ragu ahead of time and heat it when you are ready to serve.
• Gather your ingredients.
• Add the mushrooms, olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a cast iron skillet and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
• Add the shallots, carrots, garlic, thyme, and ground black pepper to the mushrooms and saute for another 2 minutes.
• Add in the tomato paste and stir to combine.
• Add in the vegetable broth, wine, and balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine and simmer on low heat for 8-10 minutes.
• Gather your ingredients.
• Add all of the ingredients to your food processor and blend until smooth and whipped in appearance, about 1 minute.
• To serve, arrange polenta cakes on each plate. Spoon the ragu over the cakes and top with the herbed ricotta. Sprinkle with more chopped basil if you wish.

CREAMY POLENTA & MUSHROOM RAGOUT

Steps:

• Soak the dried mushrooms in 150ml warm water. Set aside for 20 mins, then drain and squeeze, reserving the soaking liquid. Heat the butter in a large frying pan. When sizzling, add the shallot and cook for a few mins until soft. Add the garlic and thyme leaves, cook for 1 min more, then turn up the heat and add the soaked mushrooms. After 1 min, add all the other mushrooms and fry over a very high heat for 5 mins until soft. Splash in the red wine and boil rapidly for 1 min. Pour in the stock and reserved mushroom liquid, and simmer for 15 mins until you have a thickened stew. Turn off the heat.
• For the polenta, bring the milk to the boil with 500ml water, the bay and thyme. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 mins, then fish out the herbs and bring back to the boil. Add the polenta in a steady stream, whisking steadily. Cook for 1 min until thickened, then stir in the butter and Parmesan. Spoon a 'crater' of polenta onto a baking tray and fill with the ragout. Top with slices of Taleggio, place under a hot grill until melting and oozy, then let everyone help themselves.

POLENTA CAKES WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Over a medium-high heat in a large saucepan that allows for stirring, heat milk, cornmeal and 2 cups water. Give it an initial stir to blend ingredients, then let cook until it thickens up a bit, about 5 minutes. At this point, stir continuously so that contents thicken up without sticking to saucepan, about 10 minutes. Add the mascarpone and Parmesan. Cook, stirring, until polenta is thick enough to pour out, another 5 minutes. Pour into individual muffin pans or one big pan. Let cool at room temperature for approximately 10 minutes. Refrigerate the polenta for later use.
• When you're ready to serve the polenta: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Top the polenta cake with the Sauteed Mushrooms and shredded mozzarella, if using, and bake 5 to 8 minutes. Enjoy!
• Over a medium-high heat, heat oil in a medium frying pan. Add garlic and let brown, approximately 1 minute. Throw in mushrooms and allow to brown and cook down, stirring, approximately 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Lower heat to low and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

POLENTA SQUARES WITH MUSHROOM RAGU

Steps:

• Bring the water, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in the polenta. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir constantly until the polenta thickens, about 5 minutes. Pour the polenta into a greased 9 by 9-inch baking pan, spreading so that it is 1/3-inch thick. Cover and let stand at room temperature until set, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and saute until the juices evaporate, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Add the Marsala. Cover and simmer until the Marsala has reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Stir the flour and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl to form a paste, then stir the paste into the mushroom mixture. Cover and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir the parsley into the ragu. Season the ragu, to taste, with more salt and pepper.
• Cut the polenta into 36 bite-size squares. Arrange the polenta squares on a platter. Spoon the warm ragu atop the polenta and serve immediately.

WILD MUSHROOM RAGOûT ON CRISPY POLENTA WITH COMTE CHEESE

Steps:

• For polenta:
• Generously butter 13x9x1- inch baking sheet. Bring milk, broth, and bay leaf to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove saucepan from heat; cover and let steep 20 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Discard bay leaf. Bring liquid to boil. Gradually add polenta, whisking constantly until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until polenta is very thick, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in Comté cheese and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer polenta to prepared 13x9x1-inch baking sheet. Using wet hands, press polenta evenly over sheet to edges. Chill until firm, at least 3 hours. Cut polenta into 20 squares. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• For mushroom ragout:
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons oil in large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add all mushrooms and sauté until tender and browned, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add shallots and balsamic vinegar; sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Season lightly to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Rewarm mushrooms in large skillet over medium-high heat until heated through. Add broth and simmer 1 minute. Stir in crème fraîche and half of parsley. Season mushroom ragout to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°F. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add polenta squares to skillet and cook until browned, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven while cooking remaining polenta squares.
• Arrange 2 polenta squares on each plate. Top each with warm mushroom ragout; sprinkle with grated Comté cheese and remaining parsley and serve.
• MORE INFO:
• Comté is a semi-firm, Gruyère-style cow's-milk cheese made primarily in France's Franche-Comté region. It adds great flavor to this recipe and would also be delicious on a cheese platter. Comté is available at some supermarkets, cheese shops, and specialty foods stores.
• *Polenta can be found at some supermarkets, as well as at natural foods stores and Italian markets. If polenta is unavailable, substitute an equal amount of regular yellow cornmeal and cook it about half as long.