Three-Mushroom Ragu, Polenta and Garlic Broccoli – Vegetarian Feast

Since caveman times, we humans have craved meat. But it’s amazing how stunningly delicious and memorable meatless dishes can be. Not only was this recipe delicious, but hours after we finished eating Three-Mushroom Ragu, Polenta and Garlic Broccoli, we returned to the condo to the scents of a symphony of tomato sauce, shallots, mushrooms, garlic, thyme and bay. What a great interpretation of a familiar melody. Serve this with a glass of red wine and you have a feast worthy of a cold winter’s night.

Credit for this recipe goes to Marie Simmons and her book Fresh & Fast Vegetarian, which I highly recommend. I have interpreted several of her recipes here.

Three-Mushroom Ragu, Polenta and Garlic Broccoli

Cooking time: 40 minutes

1 recipe of Stovetop Polenta (recipe below)

Ingredients

1 handful dried porcini mushrooms

1 handful shiitake mushrooms

8 ounces fresh crimini mushrooms, roughly chopped

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 large shallots chopped

1 tsp dried parsley or 1/4 cup fresh, chopped

1 tsp dried thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh, chopped

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup dry red wine

1 28-ounce can of Italian plum tomatoes, pureed in a food processor

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Make the polenta. While it is cooking, combine the dried mushrooms in a small sauce pan and add 2-3 cups of water. Bring water and mushrooms to a boil, remove from heat, cover and set aside for 20 minutes until soft. Remove the mushrooms from the mushroom liquor and chop coarsely. Retain the liquor.

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat and add shallots and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring over medium heat until golden and tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the thyme, parsley, bay leaf and garlic and cook one minute. Add the wine. Bring to a boil and reduce by half.

Add the pureed tomatoes and 1 and 1/2 cups of the mushroom liquor, being careful not to get any grit from the bottom of the pan. Cook uncovered over medium heat until the sauce is thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. Adjust seasoning using salt and pepper. Serve hot over the polenta with broccoli on the side, with a glass of wine, if you like.

Garlic Broccoli

1 head of baby broccoli

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Red pepper flakes

Salt

Trim off the tough bottoms of the broccoli and cut into 2-nch pieces. Wash and place in a frying pan with a half-inch of water in it. Bring water to a boil and cover and cook for five minutes or until tender. Drain in a colander and wipe out the frying pan.

Return frying pan to stove and add the olive oil and garlic. Cook for 1 minute then add a pinch of red-pepper flakes. Move broccoli to a bowl and pour hot oil and garlic mixture over broccoli and toss, adding a bit of salt to taste.

Stovetop Polenta

Serves 6

1 1/2 cups coarse ground cornmeal or polenta

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Freshly ground pepper

Bring 5 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water is boiling slowly add the cornmeal while stirring with a whisk to prevent lumps. Stir in salt. Cook for approximately 15 minutes and add boiling water as needed during this time to keep polenta from becoming too thick.Just before the polenta is finished cooking, stir in parmesan cheese and olive oil. Pour into serving dish.