RECIPE: Creamy Polenta with Stewed Mushrooms (from Peace, Love, and Pasta by Scott Conant)

This is the dish that got me married: It’s what I made to woo Mel because it’s simply irresistible; after Pasta Pomodoro and short ribs, this is the most-requested, most-ordered dish of any menu I’ve ever written. The richness of the mushrooms combined with the creaminess of the polenta is decadent, eye popping, and almost naughty—like food shouldn’t be this good. You’ll know you’ve gotten it right if people swoon when they taste it.

Serves 8 as a side dish or in lieu of a pasta course

7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

8 medium shallots, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise

Kosher salt

4 cups (300 g) mixed mushrooms, sliced or roughly chopped

4 sprigs thyme

2 (1½-ounce/40 g) containers More Than Gourmet roasted chicken stock combined with 1⅓ cups (315 ml) water, plus more if needed

1 tablespoon preserved black truffles

Pinch crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 recipe Creamy Polenta (see below)

In a medium saucepan, heat 6 tablespoons (90 ml) of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring continuously, until the shallots just begin to color, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by half and has a saucy consistency, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the preserved truffles. If the mixture starts to thicken too much—the mushrooms should be swimming in the sauce—add a few more tablespoons of stock to thin it out a bit. Stir in the red pepper flakes and the chives.

Divide the creamy polenta among four bowls. Ladle the stewed mushrooms over the top and serve immediately.

RECIPE: Creamy Polenta

Note: It’s very important to use coarsely ground cornmeal when making this polenta because it is more savory than finely ground polenta—the dish will be too sweet otherwise. I use an imported Italian polenta brand called Moretti Bramata. If you do not use all of the polenta for the recipe above, store it overnight in the refrigerator and heat it up the next morning with an egg and some grated cheese on top for a quick breakfast.

4 cups (960 ml) heavy cream

4 cups (960 ml) milk

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 cup (120 g) coarse cornmeal

4 tablespoons (½ stick/55 g) unsalted butter

5 tablespoons (40 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high, heat the heavy cream and milk until scalded, about 5 minutes. Carefully whisk in the kosher salt and continue whisking until the liquid is very frothy, like a cappuccino. While still whisking, slowly pour the polenta into the pot. Continue to whisk until the granules swell, about 8 minutes. At this point, switch to a wooden spoon to stir the polenta. Keep stirring until the polenta has begun to thicken, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to a very low simmer, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until cooked through and the liquid has reduced, about 1½ hours. (A skin might form on the bottom of the pan, which is fine; do not scrape it.)

Just before serving, raise the heat to medium-high and stir in the butter and the cheese and cook, stirring, until the butter has melted, then take the pot off the heat. The polenta will continue to thicken as it cools, so don’t worry if it looks a little thin.

From award-winning chef and Food Network personality Scott Conant, a cookbook of restaurant-quality Italian meals that you can make easily in your home kitchen

Thirty-five years into an illustrious career of restaurant openings across the country, widespread acclaim, and frequent appearances on the Food Network’s Chopped and many other shows, Scott Conant has returned home to create his most personal cookbook yet. Meals cooked from simple, fresh ingredients were staples of Conant’s childhood in a New England family with roots in Southern Italy. From his grandparents’ garden to the dinner table, he learned early on to appreciate the nuances of different flavors and ingredients, and the strong connection between food and family.

Focusing on these foods Conant grew up with and the ones he makes for his loved ones today, Peace, Love, and Pasta compiles simple, fresh, and flavorful Italian recipes for the home cook to bring to their own family’s table. These recipes are built on the art of cooking for love, fascination with flavors and ingredients, and the simple pleasures of taste and conviviality.

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