Wednesday, March 12, 2014

In The Kitchen: Mushroom Ragout and Creamy Polenta


I love beef ragout but always felt that it was a bit too heavy for a weeknight dinner so I gravitated towards a vegetarian spin off using mushrooms in place of the meat. Great hearty and meat-free dinner!
To all the carb counters out there, you should know (and if you don't, this is my warning!) that polenta is NOT light on carbs. If you prefer to 

Ingredients
Makes ~7 servings

Mushroom Ragout

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • Herbs such as thyme, rosemary, oregano, etc. (3 tsp total)
  • 1.5 lbs of assorted mushrooms (I used white and cremini)
  • 1 cup chicken broth (or more, if needed)
Creamy Polenta
  • 4 cups of water or chicken stock
  • 4 cups milk
  • 2 cups polenta
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions for Mushroom Ragout
  1. Melt the butter on low-medium heat and add the garlic and onions. Stir and slowly cook until translucent
  2. Add the herbs and stir til they evenly coat the onions. Add half the batch of mushrooms, cover and cook for about 5 minutes
  3. Add the other half of the mushrooms, cover and cook.
  4. Add half the chicken broth and simmer with the lid off. Add the other half of the chicken broth
  5. Salt & pepper to your liking and enjoy!
Directions for Creamy Polenta

  1. Add the chicken stock and milk into a pot and heat until boiling. 
  2. Add the polenta and stir until the mixture has thickened.
  3. Place the lid back on and stir every 10 minutes until the mixture is to your ideal consistency. It should be similar to mashed potato consistency.
  4. Stir in butter, salt and cheese and serve immediately.




Nutritional Information:
Serving Size: 1 cup polenta with 1/4 cup mushroom ragout
| Calories: 322 cal | Total Fat: 12 g | Fiber: 1.5 g | Sodium: 1344 mg | Protein: 9.3 g | Sugar: 7.9 g |