Creamy Polenta with Mushroom Ragù

This is one of my favorite times of year to cook. You can guiltlessly cook hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meals full of robust flavors. It's something about the crisp air that just makes it okay.

Tonight we're having one of those stick-to-your-ribs kinds of meals - creamy polenta with mushroom ragù.

The polenta cooks for hours and gets so thick and creamy it is like eating velvet. And the mushrooms add another rich layer of flavor with a hint of truffle oil drizzled at the end.

For the polenta:

3 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup polenta, or course ground cornmeal

1 Tbsp. butter, unsalted

2 Tbsp. freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

In a heavy-bottomed pan, combine the milk and cream. Heat until it is just bubbling. Add the salt and whisk in the polenta, then bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook the polenta for about 2 hours, stirring every 5 minutes. Just before serving stir in the butter and the cheese.

For the mushroom ragù:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots thinly sliced

2 cups of mushrooms (I prefer a wild mix) roughly chopped

1/2 cup reduced stock, either veggie or chicken (I use 1/2 cup water with 1 bouillon cube dissolved because they don't sell pre-made stock in stores)

Truffle oil to drizzle

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until the shallots begin to turn colors. Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid has released. Add the stock, reduce the heat and simmer until liquid has reduced by half.

To serve, spoon the polenta onto a plate, top with the mushroom ragù, then drizzle with a few drops of truffle oil.

Tonight I served the polenta with roasted Brussels spouts. Heat the oven to 400F (200C), trim the sprouts, coat in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast them for about 40 min. They will be crispy on the outside and soft in the inside, and, I can actually tolerate eating them this way.

Buon appetito!