Mushroom Ragoût with Polenta

This ragoût makes for a great contorno. The polenta is also a perfect bed for a braised meat, such as short ribs. But, if you love mushrooms as I do, this recipe is also a great, lighter meal all on its own.

This is the simplest of ragoûts, a minimal preparation for good, fresh mushrooms. For a more involved approach, see my mushroom ragù or spring mushroom ragù recipes, which I use in my for pappardelle, mushroom ragù, cebollitas, truffle oil and strozzapreti, spring mushroom ragù, ricotta dishes, respectively. Or, for my favorite mushroom ragù, see my recipe for scallion polenta, mushroom ragù, poached egg.

Mushroom Ragoût with Polenta

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced large
1/2 pound crimini mushroom, stemmed and sliced large
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 batch traditional polenta (recipe)
4 teaspoons white truffle oil
4 sprigs thyme, to garnish
gray salt, to taste
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the oil is hot and the butter is bubbling, add the shiitake and crimini mushrooms. Season with black pepper. Cook until they loose their liquid, deflate, and start to brown, about 8 minutes.

Add the thyme. Stir to incorporate.

Reducing down the liquid

Add the white wine and, scrapping the bottom of the pan, deglaze. Add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to a heavy simmer. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid is completely reduced, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Plated, garnished, and ready to serve

Spoon the polenta into warm bowls. Top with the mushroom ragoût. Drizzle with white truffle oil. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme—more than just a visual garnish, the aromatics are wonderful. Pairs perfectly with a Barolo red wine (Nebbiolo grape) from in and around the village of Barolo, Cuneo province, Piedmont region, in northeastern Italy.

Catalan Tomato Toast: Pan con Tomate

Pan con tomate, bread with tomato, is a popular Catalonian dish. In Spanish-speaking Spain it is often called pan a la catalana; in Cataluña, pa amb tomaquet. One of Cataluña's most famous, yet simplest, exports, the recipe is simple: grilled peasant bread is rubbed with garlic and fresh tomato, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt. That's it. Not unlike Italy's bruschetta, the bread is wonderful on its own, or as a bed for cheese or jamón.

Pan con Tomate (con Prosciutto di Parma)

Makes 8 slices (4 servings).

Ingredients:

8 thick slices of peasant bread
2 large cloves garlic, halved
1 large tomato, cut width-wise into thirds
your favorite olive oil
fleur de sel

Preheat your grill or a panini pan over high heat.

Grill the bread, giving it a nice toast and grill marks but not toasting it solid.

With the bread still hot, rub a garlic clove half across the top (grilled side) of the bread. A couple rubs is sufficient. Use one clove half for two pieces of toast.

Rub the tomato slices over the top of the toast, just enough to give a thin film of tomato across the toast. Use one side of one slice the tomato for two pieces of toast.

Drizzle the toast with olive oil. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Serve warm or at room temperature, with a soft goat's cheese or your favorite jamón. Pan con tomate with goat's cheese pairs well with a rosé of the Trepat grape from the Conca de Barberà DO in Cataluña. The toast with jamón pairs well with a red wine of the Grenache (called Garnacha in Spanish and Garnatxa in Catalan) grape from the Priorat DOQ, also in Cataluña.