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Mushroom Ragù With Creamy Polenta

This is a wonderful rich, savory meatless ragù. It has all the great depth of flavour you would expect from a slow-simmered ragù, but comes together in less than an hour!
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Polenta Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Canadian, Italian
Keyword: earthy flavour, vegetarian
Servings: 4
Calories: 468kcal

Ingredients

The Ragu

  • dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 portabello mushrooms halved, then sliced
  • 5 cups mixed mushrooms cleaned, and sliced
  • 2 shallots peeled and sliced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • ½ cup tomato passata
  • 1 cup mushroom stock (substitute vegetable or chicken)
  • 1 tsp dried rubbed sage
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

The Polenta

  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup polenta or yellow corn meal
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ½ cup grated smoked cheddar. plus more for serving (substitute another smoked cheese or grated parmesan)

Instructions

The Ragù

  • In a small bowl, cover the dried mushrooms with boiling water and let soak until softened, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid, roughly chop the mushrooms. Set aside.
  • Clean and slice the fresh mushrooms. Peel and slice the shallots and peel and crush the garlic.
  • Heat a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy bottom skillet over med-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until lightly browned, about10 minutes. Drain any excess liquid released by the mushrooms into the bowl with the dried mushrooms as needed.
  • Add the shallots and continue to cook until the shallots are soft, about another 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.
  • Add the thyme, sage, salt and a few good grinds of fresh blackpepper and give everything a good stir.
  • Next, add the tomato paste and stir, allowing the tomato paste to lightly caramelize, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Pour in 1/4 cup dry white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the liquid just starts to evaporate, about 1 minute.
  • Add the dried mushrooms and their soaking liquid along with the tomato passata and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.
    Stir in a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning
    Note: The Polenta can be started as the ragù simmers.

Make the Polenta

  • Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
  • Whisk in 1 cup polenta and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Reduce the heat to low and whisk continuously until polenta begins to slightly thicken, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Cover and continue cooking, stirring and scraping the sides of the pan every few minutes, until the polenta is soft and creamy, 25 to 30 minutes total. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheese and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter until fully melted.
  • Serve the mushroom ragù over the polenta and garnish with grated cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 468kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 697mg | Potassium: 1406mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 808IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 3mg
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