Shaina from Food for my Family is always delighted to find mushrooms in her refrigerator; their hearty texture makes a natural pairing with her Golden Polenta Cakes.
As I am walking through the produce section of the grocery store I inevitably come across the mushrooms. Staring at them, I seemingly always reach for them even when I have nothing intended for them on the dinner menu for the week. They call to me from there on the shelf, and they end up in my cart more often than not for having them means cheeseburgers become mushroom and Swiss burgers, sausage gravy becomes sausage and mushroom gravy. The stir fry contains mushrooms. Soups invite them in.
Really, there hasn’t been a time when I’ve been disappointed to find a bag of mushrooms in the refrigerator, purchased without purpose. They can make the most dull of days seem like an opportunity.
Such is the case with my polenta, or rather, the leftover polenta I found myself with after dinner one day. The next day the polenta waited in the refrigerator, and the mushrooms sat next to it getting friendly. Who was I to disagree with the fated pairing?
Creamy mushrooms are the perfect addition to golden polenta slices. While I used leftovers, there is no reason you couldn’t as easily make the polenta just for this purpose. It pairs nicely alongside main courses, but it shines as a simple lunch option, too.
Golden Polenta with Creamy Mushrooms
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1/2 batch Creamy Gruyere Polenta (leftover)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 green onions, diced
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- 2 cups baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions:
- After making creamy polenta, pour part of it into a 9″ loaf pan, pressing firmly into the bottom and covering. Chill in the fridge until firm.
- In a small sauté pan melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add in the green onions and parsley and cook for 3 minutes until aromatic and softened. Add in the mushrooms, olive oil, and the salt. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are cooked through and starting to brown around the edges. Drizzle the lemon juice on and stir in. Remove from heat.
- Remove the polenta from the refrigerator and cut into slices. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Toast the slices until golden brown. Remove to plate. Top with mushrooms and serve immediately.
