Pan-Fried Polenta with Mushroom Sauce

Polenta

1. Attach the Grain Mill to the base of your Assistent.
2. Place a bowl underneath the Grain Mill to catch the ground corn. Adjust the coarseness setting between medium and fine, according to your preference. Set the speed to medium and grind the corn. This should yield 2 cups of ground polenta.
3. In a 4-quart pot, bring the water and salt to a boil over high heat. SLOWLY whisk in the polenta. Reduce heat to low. Cook uncovered for 50 minutes, vigorously whisking every 5-7 minutes to prevent lumps.  Add freshly ground pepper, if desired, once the cooking time is done.
4. Pour the cooked polenta into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.  Let cool to room temperature, cover, and then refrigerate until firm.  You can make ahead and store up to two days in the refrigerator until ready to use.
5. Once polenta has firmed up, place a large cutting board on top of the baking dish and carefully flip the polenta over and out onto the cutting board. Using a large knife or pizza cutter, cut the polenta into 12 rectangles.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Place 4 pieces of polenta in the pan and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Working in batches, cook the remaining polenta pieces in the remaining olive oil, 4 pieces at a time.

Mushroom Sauce

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the garlic in the olive oil for 1 minute.  
2. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper, and sauté for 5 more minutes.  
3. Add the chicken broth and heavy cream and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 12-15 minutes until thickened.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper according to preference.
4. Spoon mushroom sauce over polenta.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired.  Serve immediately.

Recipe Tips:

For creamy polenta, these two steps are very important:

1.  SLOWLY pour the polenta into the boiling water to minimize lumps.

2. Stir and whisk every 5 to 7 minutes. This is essential for a smooth consistency and to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. 

Place the ground polenta on parchment or wax paper so you can easily pour it into the pot.

Once firm, flip the polenta out onto a cutting board and cut into squares or wedges. It only takes a few minutes to brown it in a pan, and then it is ready to be topped with the creamy mushroom sauce.