Dining and Cooking
Chefs’ Collections

Polenta With Mushrooms and Soy

Who knows who first mixed soy sauce and butter and discovered the pleasures the combination provides. Try the mixture on warm white rice, a steaming pile of greens or an old sneaker – regardless, the taste is a sublime velvet of sweet and salty, along with a kind of pop we call umami, a fifth taste beyond sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Soy butter provides warmth and luxury, elegance without pomp. For this recipe, we’ve adapted a dish that was on the menu at the chef Chris Jaeckle’s All’onda, in Manhattan: a mixture of soy and butter with mushroom stock to pour over polenta and sautéed mushrooms. The result is a dinner of comfort and joy.

Ingredients

For the polenta

  • 2cups minus 3 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1 ¾cups polenta or cornmeal
  • 4tablespoons unsalted butter, or to taste
  • 1tablespoon grated Parmesan, or to taste

For the mushrooms

  • ½ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  • 5tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pats, divided
  • 1clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 8ounces fresh mushrooms, wild or cultivated, sliced thin
  • 1teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Nutritional Information
      • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

        640 calories; 37 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 65 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 88 milligrams cholesterol; 915 milligrams sodium

    Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

4 to 6 servings

Preparation

  1. For the polenta, bring 4 1/2 cups water and the milk to a high simmer in a medium-size heavy saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add salt. Pour the cornmeal slowly into the liquid, stirring with a wire whisk to prevent clumping. Continue stirring as the mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Turn heat to low. Cook for approximately 40 to 45 minutes, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes. If the polenta becomes quite thick, thin it with 1/2 cup water, stir well and continue cooking. Add up to 1 cup more water as necessary, to keep the polenta soft enough to stir.
  3. Add the butter to pot, and stir well. Add the Parmesan, if using. Taste for seasoning. Set the covered saucepan in a pot of barely simmering water, and keep warm for up to an hour or so.
  4. Meanwhile, put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl, and cover with about 1/2 cup boiling water. Allow to steep for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, and pat dry, then chop roughly. Reserve the mushroom stock.
  5. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a sauté pan set over high heat until it has melted. Add the garlic and cook until it starts to sizzle, about 30 seconds. Do not let the garlic brown.
  6. Add the fresh and reconstituted mushrooms and thyme to the pan, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, turning until browned. Add about 1/4 cup of the mushroom stock to deglaze the surface, using a wooden spoon to scrape at the browned bits. Allow the stock to reduce by half, then turn the heat to medium-low and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, whisking to combine, followed by the soy sauce, cream and olive oil. Allow mixture to cook until it thickens a little, then remove from heat. Taste for seasoning, adding black pepper, if desired.
  7. Put the polenta in a warmed bowl, then top with mushrooms and the sauce. Serve immediately.

1 hour

Related Posts

Dining and Cooking