Mushroom Ragout on Soft Polenta {Vegan}
Honestly, kids, I don’t have much to say.
Life is quiet. And a touch boring. And I really like it that way.
Yes, I miss travel, and I yearn to just go somewhere. But also given how frenetic the past few months have been, I’m super happy to slow things down a little and just chill for a bit.
Today’s recipe is a “just chill for a bit” kinda dish. It’s not a shockingly beautiful, food-porn-y kinda dish. It’s solid, filling, delicious, and comforting. It’s a mid-January kinda slow food supper.
It’s oozy soft polenta topped with a mushroom ragout made of whatever mushrooms you can get your hands on, braised to make an umami-forward dish that you can hug to you in a bowl while you devour it (probably with a spoon while watching some horrible reality television).
The protein base of this recipe is a new product from Big Mountain Foods. This is a company that represents all the things I appreciate: this stuff is made in Canada, making it local, it’s woman-owned (yay!), it’s vegan, and it doesn’t contain any unpronounceable ingredients. The base is pea protein, but it also incorporates various mushrooms into the mix. When you take it out of the package, it kinda looks like minced or ground beef, but it’s completely vegan. I got introduced to the brand a couple months back at the Planted Expo, and have been enjoying their stuff ever since.
I stewed it down with a whole lot of other mushrooms to make this mushroom ragout.
Mushroom Ragout on Soft Polenta
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp white wine or vermouth
- 1/2 package Lion's Mane Mushroom Crumble thawed
- 1 package mushrooms (white button, crimini, or assorted)
- 2 tbsp miso paste
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 cup fresh greens chard, kale or spinach
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup plant-based milk
- 1/4 cup plant-based butter
- 1 cup cornmeal or corn flour
Instructions
For the mushroom ragout
- In a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, place the olive oil.
- Add the onions and season with a bit of salt, and then allow to cook down until transparent, stirring occasionally, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir just until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with the wine.
- Add the Lions' Mane Mushroom Crumble and allow everything to cook down together for another 5-7 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and toss well.
- In a small bowl or mason jar, add the miso paste, soy sauce and mustard together. Top with 1/2 cup of boiling water and stir well. Add to the pot along with the fresh herbs and stir well. Allow everything to stew down together for another 10 minutes or so, adding additional water if the pot gets dry.
- Toss in the greens and stir well.
- Stir together the cornstarch in about 3-4 tablespoons of water to create a slurry. Add it to the pot and allow to come to a boil and thicken. You can add additional water if it gets too thick.
- Finish by stirring in 2 tbsp of plant-based butter.
To make the polenta:
- In a small-medium saucepan over high heat, bring to a boil the 1 cup of plant based milk along with an additional cup of water and a pinch of salt.
- When the water boils, slowly stream your cornmeal or corn flour into the boiling water, whisking constantly. Turn down the heat, and continue to whisk until the mixture is thickened and a porridge-like consistency. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tbsp of the plant-based butter.
To serve:
- Place a nice spoonful/dollop of the soft polenta in a bowl or on a plate and ladle the mushroom ragout over. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a grating of Parmesan cheese (or vegan parm) if you like.