Mushroom Ragout on Polenta

This mushroom ragout on polenta is an excellent dish to use up your wild mushroom hauls, though it can just as easily be made with store bought mushrooms.

This makes for an amazingly rich and complex vegetarian meal that doesn’t need any meat to fill it out.

Prep Time15 min
Cook Time1 hr
Total Time1 hr 15 min
Yield4 servings

Cuisine
Course
- Main Course
Cooking Method
- Sautéing
- Braising
Suitable for Diet
- Vegetarian

Ingredients

For the Ragout

2 lbs (1kg) mixed mushrooms, wild or store bought (I used puffball, hen of the woods, velvet shanks, and shaggy manes)
2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons (30ml) tomato paste
1 teaspoon (2g) fresh rosemary chopped or 1/2 tsp (1g) dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup (60ml) red wine or vermouth
8oz (250ml) canned or fresh chopped tomatoes
1 cup (250ml) water or broth
1 tablespoon (15ml) soy sauce
Spruce salt (or kosher salt)
Freshly cracked black pepper
Fresh parsley for garnish

For the Polenta

3 cups (750ml) water
1/2 teaspoon (2.5g) kosher salt
1 cup (140g) cornmeal or dried polenta
1 tablespoon (14g) butter
1/4 cup (22g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Tear mushrooms by hand into bite-sized pieces.

Heat oil over medium high, add mushrooms and cook for 15-20 minutes until browned.

Add onions, tomato paste, and rosemary, cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, then add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the wine or vermouth to deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping any bits stuck to the bottom.

Add the chopped tomatoes, broth/water, and soy sauce.

Cook on medium low, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, make the polenta.

Bring the water to a boil, add the salt, then slowly add cornmeal, stirring it in constantly.

Cook for 15-20 minutes on low, stirring pretty much constantly, until the polenta reaches a thick, silky consistency.

Stir in the butter and Parmesan.

Taste the ragout and season with spruce salt (or regular salt) and pepper until you’re happy with the flavour.

To serve, scoop some polenta onto a plate and smooth it into a shallow bowl. Spoon the ragout on top of the polenta and shower with chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy!