Sauté Of White Asparagus Morels And Ramps Over Polenta Recipes

GRILLED POLENTA WITH MOREL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Generously butter a large shallow baking dish and set aside. In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Slowly pour in the polenta and the salt, whisking constantly with a wire whisk. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until thickened and smooth, about 20 to 25 minutes. Fold in the corn, Parmesan, and parsley. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the grill to medium-high. With a 2-inch circle cutter, cut the chilled polenta into circles. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides until golden brown. Arrange the polenta on a platter and spoon the vinaigrette over. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
• In a blender, blend the vinegar, shallot, and mustard until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the walnut oil and 1/2 cup of the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the mushrooms from the heat and coarsely chop them. Fold the mushrooms into the vinaigrette. Spoon the vinaigrette over the grilled polenta.

CHARLIE PALMER'S ASPARAGUS WITH MOREL RAGOUT

Steps:

• Place the asparagus in the top half of the steamer over boiling water. Cover and steam for about 6 minutes or until asparagus is just tender but still bright green. Immediately remove and refresh under cold running water. Drain well, pat and dry. Set aside. Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute for about 5 minutes or until the leeks are beginning to soften. Add the morels, chicken stock, wine, and salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 26 minutes or until the leeks are almost melted and the liquid has reduced to a sauce-like consistency. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the chives and the parsley. Taste and, if necessary, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Place the asparagus on a serving plate. Spoon the Morel Ragout over the top of the rice and garnish with the remaining chives.

WHITE ASPARAGUS AND MOREL SAUTé

Steps:

• Cook asparagus in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and cool.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add morels and sauté 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add thyme and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until morels are tender, about 6 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to skillet, then add asparagus; toss to coat. Sauté 2 minutes. Add leeks; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

POLENTA WEDGES WITH ASPARAGUS AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat broiler, with rack 5 inches from heat. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add broth and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in cream and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Place a rimmed baking sheet in oven to heat, 5 minutes. Pat polenta wedges dry with a paper towel and lightly brush both sides with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil. Toss asparagus with 1/2 teaspoon oil.
• Carefully place asparagus on one half of hot sheet and season with salt and pepper; place polenta on other half of sheet.
• Broil until polenta is golden brown and asparagus is crisp-tender, about 6 minutes, rotating sheet and tossing asparagus halfway through. Serve polenta wedges with asparagus and creamy mushrooms.

SAUTEED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Drizzle olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat and heat. Once oil is hot add asparagus spears; cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water and cover to steam asparagus and keep it from drying out. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

ASPARAGUS WITH MORELS

Steps:

• cook asparagus separately in boiling water or in microwave until tender, 3-5 minutes.
• refresh under cols water.pat dry.
• heat 3 tbsp butter in large skillet, add shallots and cook until softened. add morels and saute 5 minutes more.
• add asparagus, tarragon, salt and pepper and continue cooking until heated through.
• add remaining butter and remove from heat.
• stir in lemon juice and garnish with tarragon.

WHITE ASPARAGUS SOUP WITH MORELS

Steps:

• Snap off ends of white asparagus. Trim triangular leaves from sides, and peel spears. Cut top 2 inches off spears. Finely slice rest.
• Place tops in saucepan of salted water. Simmer 8 minutes. Add wild asparagus or green tips; simmer 2 minutes. Drain.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 2-quart saucepan. Add shallot and garlic; sauté over medium-low heat until tender. Do not brown. Remove half of shallot and garlic; set aside. Add sliced asparagus to saucepan, with chicken stock, bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme and salt and white pepper to taste. Simmer 10 minutes, until asparagus is very soft.
• Put morels in small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup water, reserved shallots, garlic and remaining thyme. Simmer 2 minutes, until water is almost evaporated. Add asparagus tops and wild asparagus or green tips, toss, and season with salt and pepper. Remove thyme.
• Remove herbs from saucepan with sliced asparagus. Add cream and remaining butter. Return to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to blender jar. Blend on very low a few seconds, then blend on highest speed about one minute.
• Divide morels, asparagus tops and wild asparagus or green tips in each of four soup bowls. Pour soup over, and serve. (Soup and garnish can also be chilled and served cold.

POLENTA WITH ASPARAGUS, PEAS AND MINT

Steps:

• If cooking polenta on stovetop: In a medium pot over high heat, combine 4 1/2 cups water, polenta and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how finely the polenta is ground (coarse-ground polenta takes longer).
• Alternatively, cook polenta in oven: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium Dutch oven or other oven-safe pot over high heat, bring 4 1/2 cups water, polenta and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, stirring constantly until the mixture starts to thicken slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Cover pot and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then give the mixture a stir. If it looks dry, add another 1/2 cup water. Cover the pot once more, and continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes.
• When polenta is thick and creamy, stir in 2 to 4 of the tablespoons butter (depending on how buttery you like it) and the Parmesan. Taste and add more Parmesan and salt, if needed.
• As the polenta cooks, prepare the vegetables: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add shallots and sauté until tender and golden, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Stir in garlic and cook for another minute or two, until fragrant and very lightly golden in spots. Add vermouth and cook until alcohol evaporates, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in asparagus and peas, and cook until vegetables are glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add stock, remaining 2 tablespoons butter and a large pinch of salt, and bring to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are tender and sauce thickens slightly, 2 to 8 minutes. (Thicker asparagus will take longer to soften.) Stir in the mint. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
• To serve, spoon polenta into bowls, top with vegetables and their sauce, and grind on lots of fresh pepper. Finish with shaved Parmesan.

POLENTA WITH MUSHROOMS AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Prepare polenta according to package directions. Cover and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, in a large skilled cook onion in hot oil over medium heat until tender. Stir in mushrooms, asparagus, and garlic. Cook uncovered about 4 minutes or until almost tender. Stir in wine and salt. Cook uncovered over medium-high heat for 1 minute.
• To serve, divide polenta among 4 bowls. Spoon the mushroom mixture over polenta. Sprinkle with nuts and cheese.

SAUTé OF WHITE ASPARAGUS, MORELS, AND RAMPS OVER POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Snap off the ends of the asparagus (they will break naturally where their toughness begins), and peel the stalks.
• Clean the ramps and prepare the ramps according to the method described on page 33.
• Blanch the asparagus in heavily salted boiling water about 5 minutes, until tender. To test for doneness, take a spear out of the water, cut a small piece off the end, and taste it. (Remember, the spears will continue to cook a little as they cool.) Carefully remove the asparagus to a baking sheet to cool.
• If the morels are large, cut them in half.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. (If you don't have a pan that's large enough to hold all of the vegetables, heat two pans and divide ingredients accordingly.) Add 4 tablespoons butter to the pan, and when it foams, scatter the morels into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd them. Sauté the mushrooms 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Turn down the heat to medium, and add the thyme, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Let the mushrooms cook another 6 to 8 minutes. They should be crispy on the outside, yet still tender. (The amount of cooking time really depends on the mushrooms; sometimes they give off water, which will require a longer cooking time, to allow the water to evaporate and the morels to crisp.)
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the mushrooms, and place the blanched asparagus carefully in the pan. Toss to coat the asparagus in all the mushroomy brown butter, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the ramps to the pan, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook another 2 minutes, tossing often so all the flavors meld and everything is coated in the butter. Taste for seasoning.
• Spoon the polenta onto a large warm platter. Using tongs, arrange the asparagus and ramps, randomly overlapping them over the polenta. Spoon the morels and all the butter over the top, and scatter the parsley over everything.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring 5 1/2 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over high heat. Add the polenta slowly, whisking continuously. Turn the heat down to low, and continue cooking for another 20 minutes, whisking often. Add another 1/2 cup water and cook 1 more hour, whisking often and adding 1/2 cup water as needed, about every 20 minutes. The flame should be low, so that the polenta is barely simmering. As you whisk, make sure that you reach the bottom of the pan to prevent the polenta from scorching. I like to use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot.
• Whisk in the butter, and taste for seasoning. Even when the polenta is finished, you might sense it thickening up a little. If so, add a little more water and whisk to get the right consistency. If you're not serving right away, cover the pan with plastic wrap to keep the polenta from thickening or losing moisture. If necessary, rewarm over low heat before serving.
• You can blanch the asparagus and ramps a few hours ahead.