This hearty vegetarian dish pairs rich, creamy polenta with a luscious topping of sautéed mushrooms. The Taleggio cheese adds a nutty layer of flavor that marries the earthiness of the mushrooms perfectly. For an entrée, we paired this with a crisp green salad, some crusty bread and an earthy red wine.
Polenta with Sauteed Mushroom
2 servings or 4 small sides
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups mixed mushrooms, large ones halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 tablespoon truffle oil (optional)
Salt and black pepper
2-1/4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup polenta (instant or traditional)
3 ounces Parmesan, grated
2-1/2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped chervil
4 ounces Taleggio (rind removed), cut into 3/8-inch slices (soft, Italian cheese)
Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add half of the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes, or until just cooked; try not to move them much so you get golden brown patches on their surface. Remove from the pan, and repeat with the rest of the mushrooms and oil.
Off the heat, return all the mushrooms to the pan and add the garlic, tarragon, thyme, truffle oil and some salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Bring the stock to the boil in a saucepan. Slowly stir in the polenta, then reduce the heat to the minimum and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The polenta is ready when it leaves the sides of the pan but is still runny. If you are using instant polenta this shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes; with traditional polenta it could take up to 50 minutes (if it seems to dry out, add some more stock or water but just enough to keep it at a thick porridge consistency).
Preheat broiler. When the polenta is ready, stir in the Parmesan, butter, rosemary and half the chervil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the polenta over a heatproof dish and top with the Taleggio. Place under the broiler until the cheese bubbles. Remove, top with the mushrooms and their juices, and return to the broiler for a minute to warm.*This makes a nice side dish to accompany grilled meats.
Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi: Plenty 
I’m drooling over the earthiness of this dish….! Too bad Mike won’t go near mushrooms 🙁 How wrong is that…….