Name: Braised mushrooms with polenta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 80 gm butter, chopped; 500 gm mixed mushrooms, such as field mushrooms and Swiss browns, larger mushrooms thickly sliced; 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 125 ml (½ cup) full-bodied red wine; 3 marjoram sprigs, plus 2 tsp finely chopped leaves; 125 ml (½ cup) chicken or vegetable stock; 2 tsp balsamic vinegar; Soft polenta; 1 litre (4 cups) milk; 180 gm (1 cup) fine polenta; 100 gm finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve; 60 gm butter, chopped

Top-notch ingredients will make all the difference in this simple dish, so if possible, splurge on the wine and opt for a top-shelf aged balsamic.

Ingredients

80 gm butter, chopped

500 gm mixed mushrooms, such as field mushrooms and Swiss browns, larger mushrooms thickly sliced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

125 ml (½ cup) full-bodied red wine

3 marjoram sprigs, plus 2 tsp finely chopped leaves

125 ml (½ cup) chicken or vegetable stock

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Soft polenta

1 litre (4 cups) milk

180 gm (1 cup) fine polenta

100 gm finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

60 gm butter, chopped

Method

1.Heat a quarter of the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add half the mushrooms and cook until golden (3-4 minutes). Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with another quarter of the butter and remaining mushrooms, transfer to bowl and season to taste. Add half the remaining butter to pan, then add garlic and sauté until golden (1 minute). Deglaze pan with wine, scraping base of pan, then add marjoram sprigs and cook until wine is reduced by half (1 minute). Increase heat to high, add stock, bring to a simmer and cook until reduced to a thin sauce (4-5 minutes). Discard marjoram sprigs. Return mushrooms to pan with chopped marjoram, balsamic vinegar and remaining butter, season to taste, then swirl pan to coat and glaze mushrooms.

2.Meanwhile, for polenta, bring milk to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Rain in polenta, whisking continuously, then whisk occasionally until thick and smooth (8-10 minutes). Whisk in parmesan and butter, season to taste and serve with glazed mushrooms and extra parmesan.

Maxwell Adey Senior Food Editor & Stylist

Maxwell has always been passionate about food. Born into a restaurateur and award-winning produce farming family, he was strongly steered into pursuing a career in advertising after completing his Bachelor of Public Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. After a very short stint, he decided to enrol in Commercial Cookery at TAFE to follow his true passion. Maxwell started out working in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants (Est., Claude’s and Moon Park) which helped further his love of all things culinary and developed his technical ability to cook. Later, he was lured into the magical world of food publishing where he freelanced for ten years for notable Australian commercial and editorial brands. He has also run his own business where he sells his marinated olives, dressings and sauces at food markets and select retailers. He excitingly joins the Gourmet Traveller team to bring his technical and creative expertise in food to the brand.

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Styling by Kirsten Bookallil

Ingredients

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