Very quick polenta with mushroom sauce
It would be nice to always have lots of time to dedicate to cooking, but unfortunately one must face everyday needs.
For this reason I often think of quick preparations that cook in very little time.
And so even for recipes that would normally take a long time I try to find some tricks.
This is the case with today’s recipe. Everyone in my family loves polenta, especially with mushroom sauce. Of course the traditional one made in a copper pot with a wooden paddle that cooks for 40 minutes is fantastic.
The father of a very dear friend of mine, nicknamed the Boss, holds a “polenta-day” every year and invites us — I adore it.
However, I can’t spend 40 minutes stirring a pot; I neither have the time nor the desire.
Fortunately, instant polenta is available commercially.
Sure, the Boss would probably never speak to me again if he knew, but if we dress it with the right sauce it’s not bad at all. And above all it’s ready in at most 3-5 minutes!
But let’s get to the sauce because that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Sometimes a little is enough to flavor a simple tomato passata and in our case we will use porcini mushrooms.
Their season is unfortunately short, but it is possible to stock up in the freezer, either mushrooms or already prepared sauce ready to use.
We will therefore prepare a very quick and easy porcini mushroom sauce with which we will dress our polenta.
It won’t be like the one from the copper pot, but I assure you that with this sauce you won’t even notice the difference.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Autumn, Winter
- Energy 219.57 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 23.44 (g) of which sugars 1.66 (g)
- Proteins 8.20 (g)
- Fat 10.18 (g) of which saturated 2.01 (g)of which unsaturated 1.23 (g)
- Fibers 5.31 (g)
- Sodium 545.54 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 package instant polenta
- to taste salt
- water (quantity indicated on the package)
- 11 oz porcini mushrooms (fresh)
- 1 cup tomato purée (passata)
- 1.25 oz dried porcini mushrooms (porcini)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 1 pinch sugar
- to taste salt
Tools
- Pot
- Skillet
PROCEDURE
First, put a pot of plenty of salted water on the heat. You’ll need it to prepare the polenta. Then dedicate yourself to the mushroom sauce.
First of all, clean the mushrooms. It’s very easy, you just need to follow a few precautions, such as never putting them under running water. But let’s proceed in order.
Detach the cap from the stem, turn it over and, holding the knife blade flat, scrape it gently. Then take a soft cloth, dampen it and rub it over all parts of the porcini, cleaning it thoroughly.
This is because mushrooms should never be washed: being very spongy, they would immediately absorb water and become soggy. Cut them into strips, not too thin.
Meanwhile, soak the dried mushrooms in a cup with a little warm water to rehydrate them.In a nonstick skillet put the oil and the garlic clove cut in half from which you have previously removed the core. Put it over the heat and sauté gently over low heat for a few minutes.
Remove the rehydrated dried mushrooms from the water and squeeze them lightly to remove excess liquid.
Put the fresh mushrooms and the dried ones in the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, taste and adjust the salt. At this point remove the garlic and add the tomato purée.
Add a pinch of sugar, which will remove the acidity of the tomato. Let it simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.
When done, turn off the heat and set aside.Meanwhile the water should have come to a boil. Pour in the instant polenta mix following the package instructions. It usually requires about 3 minutes of cooking. Adjust according to your preference for the polenta’s consistency. If you want it softer, add a little more water.
If instead you prefer it firmer, use a little less. In any case, polenta should be firm but not hard. As soon as it’s ready, remove it from the heat. Add a tablespoon of butter and stir quickly.
Transfer the polenta to a serving plate. Pour over a generous amount of mushroom sauce and, if you like, sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Here is your polenta with mushroom sauce in a few minutes! Serve strictly hot.
NOTES
Remember to remove the garlic before dressing the polenta.
The procedure for preparing this sauce can also be followed for other types of mushrooms.
You don’t have to use only porcini. You can prepare it with honey mushrooms, oyster mushrooms or common button mushrooms.
In that case I always recommend adding some dried porcini, which give a more intense and tasty flavor.
Remember that mushrooms themselves are a low-calorie food. The same goes for polenta.
The caloric contribution of the dish will therefore depend on the amount of fats used, which can be reduced in the case of diets.
STORAGE
The mushroom sauce, once ready, keeps in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It can be safely frozen (storage time about 1 month).
RELATED RECIPES
If you liked this recipe you might also be interested in these
Ravioli with easy and quick mushroom sauce
Very quick porcini mushrooms and potatoes in a skillet
Veal scaloppine with porcini mushrooms
Crepes with mushrooms and béchamel
How is instant polenta produced?
To obtain precooked polenta, corn fragments are heated with steam; once softened they are turned into flakes, which are dried and finally milled into flour.
How do you know when instant polenta is cooked?
Traditionally, polenta is cooked slowly for at least 45-50 minutes. Precooked polenta significantly shortens cooking times which, depending on the brand chosen, range from 10 to 15 minutes. To understand when polenta is cooked, simply see when the compact mass detaches from the sides of the pot.
What is the best brand of instant polenta?
In my opinion, the best brand of instant polenta is Polenta Valsugana. Recently, also thanks to the increase in wholegrain products, Polenta Valsugana has diversified the product by introducing wholegrain and five-cereal versions.
