recipe: polenta with fontina and mixed mushrooms

When I was researching foods for my long term pantry this Spring I became curious what the difference between corn meal, polenta, and masa was. I discovered that they are all made from corn, however, are ground and processed differently which therefore makes each one useful in varying ways.

Cornmeal - A fine or medium flour that has a gritty/sandy texture best used for baking cornbread, dusting pizza peels, or making crusts for fried foods.

Polenta - A specific type of coarse ground yellow cornmeal and made into a creamy porridge dish, hailing from Italy, or letting it cool into a solid log, slicing it, and frying or baking it. The confusion comes because you technically could use corn meal to make polenta. However, standard corn meal is often fine or medium grind. So, if you plan to make polenta and were going to buy an item labeled as corn meal versus polenta, you would just want to check that the corn meal was a medium or coarse grind to ensure that your finished cooked polenta didn't turn out pasty. Conversely, if you have a package labeled polenta you can make cornbread from it. But due to the coarser grains, your finished baked cornbread will have a denser crumbly texture versus the softer cakelike texture you would get from the fine or medium grains of cornmeal.

Masa - Very finely ground and has been undergone a process called nixtamalization (soaking and cooking dried corn in an alkaline solution like a lime water) best used to make corn tortillas and tamales.

Because of this prior research, when perusing through Cheesy: 50 Boards & Recipes by Farideh Sadeghin, the first recipe that popped out at me to try was Polenta with Fontina and Mixed Mushrooms.

Polenta with Fontina and Mixed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

Polenta

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup polenta

6 ounces shredded fontina (I used gruyere)

3 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream (I used whole milk yogurt)

salt

Mushrooms

3 tbsp unsalted butter 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1 1/2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced (I did not have access to mixed mushrooms so I just used one kind)

1 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 cup white wine (I did not have this so I omitted, which I assume didn't give me a glaze, but the mushrooms were still great)

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

Instructions:

To make the polenta:

In a heavy medium saucepan or Dutch oven over high heat, combine the milk and 2 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, slowly add the polenta, and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and creamy, about 30 minutes. Stir in the fontina, butter, and creme fraiche, and season with salt. Keep warm.

To cook the mushrooms:

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and olive oil together. Add the shallot and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until their liquid is released, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the thyme and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the wine and vinegar. Cook until the liquid has reduced and the mushrooms are lightly golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

To serve, spoon the polenta into bowls and top each with some of the mushrooms.

This polenta was so easy to make and had a great flavor yet still allowing the polenta to shine through. I'll definitely be reaching for this recipe often this Fall when I want a cozy warming feeling just like I would get if I was craving macaroni and cheese!