Wild Mushroom Fricassee
A quick and easy at home recipe to make for any mushroom you may have foraged or have on hand. Goes well alone or as a side dish to any hearty meal.
Equipment
- Medium Sauce Pot
- Small/medium sauté pan
- Pairing knife
- Whisk (medium-sized)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Polenta (Bob's red mill or local hand milled polenta if possible)
- 3-5 cups Water (dependent on coarseness of polenta)
- 2 cups Milk (optional/ use in place of 2 cups water)
- 1-2 Tblsp Lemon juice
- 1 tsp shaved garlic
- 1 Tblsp EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil)
- Pinch Chili flakes/ cayenne/ spice blend
- 1 Tblsp Salt (for the polenta)
- TT Salt and Pepper
- 1-2 cubes Butter (cold)
- 1 Tblsp Chives (for garnishing)
Instructions
- Clean mushrooms of any debris or dirt that may be on them using a pairing knife. Cut into smaller pieces if necessary otherwise try and keep them whole (will look better for presentation).
- Place water (and milk if using) in a medium sauce pot and bring to a simmer on medium high heat. Make sure if using milk to not have heat turned up too high otherwise it will scorch the milk.
- Once water/milk come to a simmer add polenta, turn heat down to low and start to whisk immediately. This will help prevent your polenta from forming lumps and make it nice and creamy. Continue to whisk every 5 minutes. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until the polenta doesn't have any crunch bits left to it when eaten.
- Once your polenta is halfway through cooking, add your cleaned mushrooms to a sauté pan with a little bit of water. Place on stovetop on high heat to start steaming the mushrooms.
- Once the pan starts to steam and there is almost no moisture left in the pan, add your seasonings (chili flakes, garlic, lemon juice, S+P, whatever else you'd like to add here) and EVOO to the pan.
- Sauté for another 2-3 minutes until mushrooms are cooked all the way through. Add a cube or 2 of butter at the end and toss your mushrooms until they are coated nicely and butter sticks to them. Set aside until polenta is done cooking.
- Once your polenta is done cooking, add the salt to pot and stir to make sure it dissolves and is incorporated evenly. Scoop a nice big heaping mound of polenta into a bowl, top with the sauteed shrooms (reheat if need be) and top with your chives or any other garnishment you'd like. Serve immediately.
Notes
I like serving this dish any time of year and using any foraged mushrooms I can find. It helps bulk up what would otherwise just be served on the dinner plate on it's own and highlights the mushrooms nicely since the polenta doesn't overpower the mushrooms taste in any way.