Polenta e
Funghi
Soft polenta with sautéed mushrooms
Soft cornmeal polenta holds sautéed mushrooms, garlic and herbs, a northern Italian pairing served as a side or small starter.
Soft yellow polenta, browned mushrooms & thymeSoft cornmeal,
mushrooms from the northern table.
Polenta e funghi brings soft cornmeal and mushrooms together on one plate. The polenta is smooth and warm, while mushrooms add a firmer bite and savory juices. Garlic and herbs season the topping without hiding the corn flavor.
The pairing belongs to a wider northern Italian table, with a well-established place in Veneto cooking. Yellow or white polenta may be used, and mushrooms change with availability. The home recipe uses slowly cooked yellow cornmeal and cultivated mushrooms. It makes four generous side portions; smaller helpings also work as a starter. The photograph uses a thyme garnish, while the recipe finishes with parsley.
Explore by food: Rice & grains · Vegetables & cheese
At the table: Antipasti · Contorni.
Let’s make polenta e funghi.
Four generous side portions or six small starters. Use traditional non-instant yellow polenta and cultivated mushrooms; this version has parsley in place of the photographed thyme.
Four generous side portions or six small starters.
Sauté the mushrooms during the final 20 minutes of polenta cooking.
What you’ll need
- 200 gnon-instant yellow polenta cornmeal
- 1 lwater, plus up to 250 ml more if needed
- ½ tspfine salt, plus more to taste
- 600 gcultivated mushrooms, such as chestnut and oyster mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 30 mlextra-virgin olive oil
- 2garlic cloves, crushed
- 30 gunsalted butter, divided
- 2 tbspchopped parsley
- 30 gParmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
- to tasteblack pepper
Choose non-instant cornmeal and follow its cooking time; coarser grinds can need longer. Mushrooms cook alongside the polenta within the elapsed cooking allowance. Purchased cultivated mushrooms avoid the need to identify wild varieties.
How to make it
- 01
Whisk in the cornmeal
Bring 1 l water to a boil in a heavy deep saucepan and add ½ tsp salt. Pour in polenta in a thin stream, whisking continuously. Lower heat promptly to a gentle bubble; take care of hot splashes.
- 02
Cook until smooth
Cook for 40–50 minutes, or the packet time, stirring frequently and scraping the base and corners. Add measured extra hot water in small amounts if it becomes stiff before the grains are tender. It should lose its gritty taste and fall softly from a spoon.
- 03
Brown the mushrooms
During the final 20 minutes of polenta cooking, heat oil in a wide frying pan. Brown mushrooms in two batches for 6–8 minutes each, leaving space so their moisture evaporates. Add crushed garlic and 15 g butter during the final 2 minutes. Return all mushrooms to the pan, remove garlic, season with salt and pepper and stir in parsley.
- 04
Finish and serve
Stir remaining 15 g butter and grated cheese into the polenta. Taste for salt and loosen with remaining hot water if needed. Spoon onto warm plates, add mushrooms and their juices, and serve immediately while soft.
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