Serves 6 to 8
Notes
Many of you write to me about my vegetable recipes. Italian cuisine is a lot about cooking with vegetables, not only as a side dish but also, as in this case, as a main course. Yes, you could add bacon or sausages, but I love cooking and eating vegetables on their own, especially when they are paired with a starch like polenta, or rice or pasta. I suggest you make the mushroom ragù first, then the polenta, so it is piping hot when you serve it. I love polenta and its versatility. Coming from the north, we ate a lot of it. Polenta for breakfast with warm milk and honey, fried and pan-seared polenta served with melted cheese as a sandwich for lunch, and, for dinner, polenta with sautéed vegetables or braised meat, or, of course, with game meats in the winter.
Ingredients
- for the mushroom ragù
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 leeks, white and light-green parts, halved vertically, sliced
- 2 pounds mixed mushrooms (such as button, cremini, oyster, shiitake, chanterelle), thickly sliced
- Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- for the polenta
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups coarse yellow polenta
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Grana Padano, plus more for serving
- for the greens
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 sliced garlic cloves
- 2 bunches escarole (about 1 1/2 pounds), leaves separated and trimmed
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes
Directions
For the mushroom ragù: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the leeks and mushrooms. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and the rosemary. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are lightly browned and wilted, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the bay leaves and broth. Cover, and cook until the mushrooms are very tender, about 15 minutes more. Remove the bay leaves.
For the polenta: Combine 6 cups water, the olive oil, bay leaf, and
2 teaspoons salt in a large saucepan, and bring the water to a simmer over medium-low heat.
Whisking slowly, stream the polenta into the pot through the fingers of one hand. Whisk constantly at this point, to avoid lumps. Once all of the polenta is added, adjust the heat so a few small bubbles pop to the surface. Continue to cook and stir, making sure you get the corners and bottom of the pan, until the polenta is thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan, 30 to 35 minutes.
Discard the bay leaf, and beat in the butter and cheese.
For the greens: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, and cook until it’s sizzling, about 30 seconds. Add the escarole, and season with 2 teaspoons salt and the peperoncino. Toss well. Cover, and cook until the escarole has wilted, about 10 minutes. Uncover, and increase the heat to reduce away any liquid in the pan, about 1 minute. Remove and discard the garlic.
To serve: Spoon a mound of polenta on a plate, top with the braised escarole, and then spoon the mushroom ragù over it all. Some grated Grana Padano cheese is a great finale.
