Creamy Polenta with Mushroom Ragout & Poached Egg is an savory, earthy and heart warming meal.
At superman cooks, comfort food is always in season. Keith is a firm believer that a good meal prepared with love can truly warm the soul, and I could not agree more. This Polenta with Mushroom Ragout perfectly illustrates his theory. It is a savory and comforting dish made with simple ingredients that satisfies my cravings and warms me up on a cold day.
Each year when the weather begins to turn chilly, I habitually do a few things: neatly put away my open-toed shoes, happily unpack my favorite cozy sweaters, and begrudgingly adjust the thermostat. My body also slowly begins to go into "hibernation" mode. As the daylight hours become shorter, we naturally spend more time indoors and our bodies crave warm, savory foods. Keith must have read my mind because he came home wanting to make polenta the other day. Polenta has become one of my favorite foods. I order it at restaurants a lot because I never have the patience to make it at home and I feel guilty asking Keith to do so. It seems like harrowing work, the endless stirring and watching the pot. Keith quickly convinced me that this wasn't the case.
As I watched Keith cook, I was instantly reminded of how much I truly love this kind of food. This belly warming, comforting kind of meal feels like a warm bear hug on a chilly day. I admit I even played sous-chef for a few minutes, helping to stir the polenta into shape while Keith was working on other components. I am reminded that most truly great things in life require a bit of work, and this is no exception. All of the components work beautifully; the creamy polenta, the savory mushroom ragout, and the simple poached egg combine for a bite that feels like home. I'm definitely ready for winter meals in our kitchen: comforting, savory and satisfying food to be enjoyed while wearing cozy sweaters and wool socks.
Check out some of our other comfort food favorites: White Chicken Chili, Rich & Velvety Cream of Mushroom Soup and Pub Style Mac & Cheese.
Polenta with Mushroom Ragout
A savory and creamy dish that is earthy and heavenly with textures that melt perfectly in every bite
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 portions 1x
Ingredients
- FOR THE POLENTA:
- 1 C polenta
- 3 C water
- 1 tsp chicken base
- 4 Tbsp butter
- ½ C parmesan cheese, grated
- FOR THE MUSHROOMS:
- 1 ½ lbs mushrooms, sliced thick ( we used both white and crimini)
- 1 tsp chopped fresh garlic
- 1 tsp chicken base
- ¼ C olive oil
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- TO PREPARE THE MUSHROOMS:
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- In an oven-safe sauté pan, heat olive oil and garlic over medium heat.
- Add chicken base and stir until dissolved.
- Add mushrooms and sauté until coated with oil.
- Place skillet in oven and allow to roast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
- While roasting, start to prepare polenta:
- Boil 2 cups water and set aside
- In a large sauce pan, add one cup warm water and one cup of polenta and stir.
- Add chicken base and remaining 2 C boiling water and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent polenta from popping. Cook until desired consistency (about 20-30 minutes)
- Remove from heat and stir in butter and parmesan cheese.
- To poach eggs: heat water in small sauce pan with a splash of vinegar until water is steaming but not boiling.
- Crack egg directly into water and cook until white is set and yolk runny, about 4 minutes.
- TO ASSEMBLE:
- Place 1 C polenta in a bowl and top with ¼ of the mushroom and remove egg from water using a slotted spoon and place on top of mushrooms.
- Garnish with chopped chives and serve.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Entrée
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