Lumberjack’s stew with polenta.

I was lucky yesterday, during the mountain trip to collect chestnuts, I also found some excellent mushrooms. The polenta was already planned with cheese, so I just made a variation on the dressing.

A beautiful and relaxing hike in Valle Po, unfortunately, we found few chestnuts, but the beech and chestnut forests are spectacular, so on the way back, I was totally satisfied to have immersed myself in the autumn nature, with pleasant surprises in the forest flora.

Forests I’ve known for years, and sometimes I retreat to them for relaxation and new emotions. I call it the fairy forest, among mosses and lichens, small dens, and yesterday many mushrooms, unfortunately not edible but beautiful, including the Amanita muscaria. In the mountains, the weather changes quickly, with uncertain sunbeams, wind, and fog, the perfect atmosphere to wander freely.

Returned to the cabin, the wood stove ready to give us the right warmth to slowly cook our polenta and its dressing.

These are simple gestures that compensate for the stress accumulated during the week, among various commitments and other devilries… My magic forest; it’s among those beeches that one of my poems was born, one of the most important in my collection, between a sudden wind blow, the ruins of an old cabin, and that strange sensation that makes your eyes misty “I see you walking slowly, through ancient paths. Among the beeches that tell stories of other times…” Dedicated to my father.

And every time I enter that sacred forest, those words and that caress come to mind.

But let’s return to our recipe, polenta, mushrooms, chestnuts, and sausage….Ingredients of rural culture, rustic and tasty winter cuisine, rich in aromas and warmth.