The POLENTA BASKETS WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS AND PARMESAN CREAM are delightful single-serving baskets shaped like little baskets, filled with Parmesan cream and porcini mushrooms, perfect as an appetizer for a winter lunch or dinner — an ideal way to start a rustic but elegant meal in the best tradition of our country. A simple dish, yet well-balanced and truly delicious, combining and harmonizing different flavors and textures.
The preparation is very easy but requires a few important precautions, starting with the polenta which must have the right consistency, and ending with cleaning the mushrooms. Porcini should never be rinsed under running water because they act like sponges and would soak up water and lose their flavor. To avoid this problem I scraped off the soil with a small knife and wiped the mushroom clean using Regina Asciugoni paper towels, which are perfect because they are soft, absorbent and still very resistant.
Read the recipe and prepare the polenta baskets with porcini mushrooms — your fingers will get licked clean.
SEE ALSO:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Moderate
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp fine cornmeal (polenta flour)
- 3 1/8 cups water
- 2 1/8 cups milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup milk
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 3 tbsp cold milk
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (Maizena)
- 1.1 lb porcini mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic
- Half glass white wine
- to taste extra-virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 1 bunch parsley
Tools
- 6 ramekins
- 1 saucepan
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 frying pan
- 1 hand whisk
- 1 wooden spoon
Steps
HOW TO PREPARE POLENTA BASKETS WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS AND PARMESAN CREAM
In a large pot place the water and milk and bring to a boil.
At this point add the salt, pour in a drizzle of oil and begin to add the cornmeal little by little, whisking with a hand whisk to prevent lumps from forming.
Continue stirring with a wooden spoon every two or three minutes so the polenta cooks evenly and doesn’t burn.
After about 30 minutes, as soon as the polenta easily pulls away from the sides of the pot, remove it from the heat.
Butter molds about 4 inches in diameter, pour two spoonfuls of hot polenta, place a smaller mold in the center (immersed in cold water so you can remove it without the polenta sticking), and press so the polenta rises along the sides.
Make all the molds and let them cool.
Finely grate the Parmesan and put it in a small saucepan with 1/3 cup of milk.
Place over low heat and, stirring constantly, melt the cheese. Add the remaining cold milk in which you dissolved the cornstarch and, still stirring, let it thicken.
Clean the porcini mushrooms by scraping off the soil with a knife and wiping them with a slightly damp Regina Asciugoni paper towel.
Slice them and sauté in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and one clove of garlic for 5 minutes. Deglaze with the wine and once the alcohol has evaporated, season with salt and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. At the end of cooking add the parsley and mix.
Bake the polenta molds in a preheated static oven at 392°F for 15 minutes.
Remove them from the oven, let them cool slightly and carefully unmold.
Fill them by layering hot Parmesan cream, the porcini mushrooms and finish with more cream and chopped parsley.
If you wish, once filled but before adding the parsley, you can pass them back into the oven for a few minutes.
Plate the polenta baskets with porcini mushrooms and enjoy their enveloping goodness.
STORAGE
You can store the POLENTA BASKETS WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS AND PARMESAN CREAM in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and then reheat them in the oven for a few minutes.
