January 16, 2010 – Fondue Night

Our first endeavor came at a Fondue Night party with friends. We made the following Polenta with Mushroom Ragu (we created it ourselves combining other recipes that we found). We were Runner Up in the appetizer competition!

Polenta with Mushroom Ragu
3 cups water
1 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
¼ cup freshly Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces any mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry Marsala
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Slowly pour in a continuous stream of cornmeal, stirring constantly. Add the salt. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the polenta begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 20 minutes. Shut off the heat and stir in the basil and cheese. Working quickly, grease 13x9x2 with olive oil and pour in cornmeal mixture, spreading it out over the whole surface. Let the polenta set and cool for 1 hour. When the polenta has cooled completely, cut into small squares. Grease a baking sheet and arrange them on the sheet, leaving space around each one so that the edges can crisp. Bake on the top rack in the oven for 15 minutes, or until browned.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and sauté until the juices evaporate, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Add the Marsala. Cover and simmer until the Marsala has reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Stir the flour and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl to form a paste, then stir the paste into the mushroom mixture. Cover and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir the parsley into the ragu. Season the ragu, to taste, with more salt and pepper. Arrange the polenta squares on a platter. Serve the ragu on the side or spoon some on each square.