Precooked polenta is truly a gift: the work of turning it nice and creamy has already been done, meaning that you can focus on taking it to the next level. Here, that means searing it in a pan until it gets nice and creamy on the outside and tantalizingly tender on the inside. With a creamy mushroom sauce on top and a balsamic-dressed salad to the side, that amounts to nothing less than polenta perfection.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
8 unit
Button Mushrooms
2 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Shallot
¼ ounce
Thyme
¼ ounce
Parsley
½ tube
Polenta
1 unit
Veggie Stock Concentrate
4 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains Milk)
2 ounce
Arugula
1 ounce
Pine Nuts
(Contains Tree Nuts)
2 teaspoon
Balsamic Vinegar
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains Milk)
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains Milk)
2 tablespoon
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Wash and dry all produce. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Trim, then thinly slice mushrooms. Mince garlic. Halve, peel, and mince shallot. Strip thyme leaves from stems; discard stems. Roughly chop leaves. Finely chop parsley. Slice half the polenta into ½-inch rounds (use the rest as you like).
Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat (we used 1 TBSP). Add polenta and cook until browned and crisp on surface, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm.
Melt 1 TBSP butter in same pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, tossing, until tender, 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in same pan over medium heat. Add shallot, thyme, and garlic. Cook until softened, 2-3 minutes. Pour in ½ cup water and stock concentrate. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer until reduced to a saucy consistency, 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Stir in sour cream and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl, toss arugula, pine nuts, 2 tsp balsamic vinegar (we sent more), and a large drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide polenta between plates. Spoon over gravy. Sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley. Add salad to the side and serve.