Wild Mushroom Medley with Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta
When it comes to making a meatless meal, few foods are as deliciously satisfying as mushrooms. This easy-to-make main dish consists of a medley of wild mushrooms in a creamy sauce flavored with onion, sherry, fresh thyme and sage. Served over a soft goat cheese polenta it makes a fantastic vegetarian, gluten-free dinner.
Wild Mushroom Medley with Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta
This dish is a savory medley of mushrooms bathed in a creamy sauce flavored with sherry and thyme and served over soft goat cheese polenta.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 lbs fresh mushrooms (see notes)
- 1 ounce dried mushrooms (see notes)
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
- 1/2 cup sherry (or low-sodium chicken broth)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the polenta:
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
- 2-1/2 cups milk
- 1-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
- 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese (about 1 cup)
Instructions
- Clean the mushrooms, trim the stems, and cut them into 1/4-inch slices. Set aside.
- Soak the dried mushrooms in the warm water until softened and rehydrated, 20 to 25 minutes. Strain the soaking liquid, reserving 1/2 cup and blot the mushrooms dry. Chop roughly and set aside.
Tip: When you're using the soaking liquid from dried mushrooms in your recipe, it's best to use a shallow bowl for soaking. This allows you to use less water, resulting in more flavorful liquid.
Make the polenta:
- While the mushrooms soak, prepare the polenta. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, sauté 1 minute, then add the milk, chicken broth and salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the cornmeal, whisking constantly until well blended.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook 8 to 10 minutes, continuing to whisk frequently until thickened. Add the sage and goat cheese and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
Cook the mushrooms:
- In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute longer.
- Begin adding the mushrooms, a couple of handfuls at a time, and sauté each batch until slightly softened before adding more. Once all the mushrooms are in the skillet, season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in the reserved mushroom liquid and sherry, increase the heat to medium-high and simmer the mixture, stirring often, until the liquid has reduced by 1/2, 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary, then add the thyme, sage and cream. Cook for 1 minute longer.
- To serve, plate a serving of polenta, top with mushrooms and spoon a little of the sauce over all.
Notes
About the mushrooms:
Your choice of mushrooms for this dish is flexible. You can combine several varieties of fresh mushrooms (we used white button, cremini and shiitake), or stick with just one. The dried mushrooms add depth of flavor to the dish and you can choose whatever variety you like best. We went with chantarelles because we love their unique shape and texture, but any variety will provide that earthy boost of flavor.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 591 Total Fat: 35g Saturated Fat: 18g Trans Fat: 1g Unsaturated Fat: 15g Cholesterol: 73mg Sodium: 1135mg Carbohydrates: 53g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 7g Sugar: 6g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 21g
4 Comments on “Wild Mushroom Medley with Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta”
I am not a fan of the “normal” mushrooms (it’s a texture thing) do the wild mushrooms you use have a different consistancy to “normal” mushrooms?
This dish looks really tasty.
Hi Ashley,
Certain types of wild mushrooms have a somewhat chewier texture than the more common varieties like white button and cremini (baby portobellos). I’m thinking that if you’re not a fan of the texture of those mushrooms, you might like the wild mushrooms even less.
My suggestion for you would be to make the dish using chicken (about 1 lb of boneless thighs) instead of mushrooms and replace the 1/2 cup of reserved mushroom liquid with chicken broth. It would have a somewhat different flavor, but still be delicious. Let us know what you think!
I totally love wild mushrooms and goat cheese. This plate looks delicious.
I’ve never actually tried a recipe that I found online, but I really want to take a chance on this one.
I’m somewhat intimidated by what I consider to be a long list of ingredients that I don’t have, but I know I’ll be proud of myself for actually making this happen.
Hi Jenny – I’m sure you’ll do just fine – enjoy!