Crispy polenta with mixed mushrooms

Fancy something other than pasta, rice or potatoes? Then try polenta. It is made from corn flour, is gluten-free and can be prepared in many ways. We fry it in the pan for a crispy crust. The fried mushrooms make it a delicious autumn dish.

Ingredients

For the fried polenta:
250 g instant-polenta
water and salt
1 tbsp butter
4 tbsp circolo ‘extra virgin’ olive oil

For the mushrooms:
800 g mixed mushrooms e.g. (chestnut) mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shitake, scrubbed clean and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 chilli pepper, cut into rings
1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 sprig of fresh thyme)
1 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 sprig of fresh rosemary)
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp circolo ‘extra virgin’ olive oil

Preparation

1. Lightly rub a large flat bowl or plate with olive oil. Prepare the polenta as indicated on the package. And at the end, add the butter and 2 tbsp olive oil for extra creaminess.
2. Pour it into the dish/on the plate and spread it with a ladle so that it is evenly distributed. The polenta is about 3-4 centimeters thick. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, cut the garlic, onion, mushrooms and chili pepper.
4. Heat in a large frying pan il circolo ‘extra virgin’ olive oil and add garlic, chili and onion. If the onion is glassy, add the chopped mushrooms.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper. And remove from the heat.
6. In another frying pan heat 2 tbsp circolo ‘extra virgin’ olive oil.
7. Take a round form – e.g. a glass= and press it through the polenta dough to make small rounds.
8. Bake the polenta rounds in the oil until the top and bottom are crispy.
9. Heat up the mushrooms briefly in the pan. And sprinkle the parsley on top.
10. Put one or two crunchy polenta rounds on a plate and spoon some of the mushroom mixture on top.

Tips

• Before serving, drizzle some il circolo olive oil with truffle aroma over the dish.
• Or crumble half a bouillon cube with porcini flavour into the pan when you fry the mushrooms for a more intense flavour.