What’s creamy, dreamy, luxurious and…truly fairly wholesome? Mark Bittman’s recipe for cauliflower “polenta” with mushrooms, is what. It’s from his newly revised model of How to Cook Everything Fast, and apart from being low carb and gluten free, it additionally comes collectively in a flash. (Plus, it’s surprisingly versatile—see the very backside for 3 variations on the meal, in addition to a mushroom swap you may make.)
“Polenta, the Italian cousin to cornmeal mush or grits, is a creamy automobile for all kinds of saucy toppings,” Bittman writes. “A well-seasoned various based mostly on super-soft cauliflower will increase your vegetable consumption with out lowering your pleasure.”
And also you know we’re all about that.
From How you can Cook dinner Every part Quick, Revised Version by Mark Bittman. Copyright © 2022 by Mark Bittman. Reprinted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
1. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a big skillet over medium-low warmth. In a big pot, carry 2 cups water and a giant pinch of salt to a boil over excessive warmth. Trim and slice the mushrooms. Add them to the skillet as you’re employed.
2. Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt and pepper and enhance the warmth to medium. Cook dinner, stirring sometimes, till tender and frivolously browned, 12 to fifteen minutes. In the meantime, trim and halve the cauliflower. With the flat aspect on the reducing board, chop every half into small bits. Add the cauliflower to the pot of water as you’re employed.
3. Convey the cauliflower to a boil, then decrease the warmth so the water bubbles steadily. Cook dinner, stirring sometimes, till the cauliflower may be very tender and the liquid thickens, 10 to 12 minutes. If the combination turns into too dry and sticks, add extra water ¼ cup at a time. In the meantime, trim, peel and slice the shallot. Strip the leaves from 2 rosemary sprigs and chop.
4. When the mushrooms are frivolously browned, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the shallot and rosemary. Cook dinner, stirring, till aromatic, about 2 minutes. Take away from the warmth. Grate 1 cup Parmesan.
5. When the cauliflower breaks down and appears like porridge, take away from the warmth. Use a potato masher or immersion blender to purée it within the pot. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the Parmesan and return it to medium-low warmth. Cook dinner, stirring and including water if essential to make the cauliflower steamy and unfastened sufficient to drop from a spoon like polenta. (If the combination is just too soupy, elevate the warmth and let some liquid bubble away for a pair minutes.) Style and add extra butter or salt when you like; hold heat.
6. Return the mushrooms to medium warmth till they sizzle. Spoon the cauliflower “polenta” into bowls, prime with the mushrooms and serve.
Variations
Chianti Cauliflower “Polenta” with Mushrooms: Magenta polenta! As an alternative of utilizing water to cook dinner the cauliflower in Steps 1 and three, substitute Chianti or one other fruity pink wine.
Cauliflower “Polenta” with Zucchini: As an alternative of the mushrooms, trim 1 pound zucchini; slice crosswise into skinny cash. Use ¼ cup chopped recent parsley as a substitute of the rosemary when you like. Cook dinner and season the greens as you’ll the mushrooms.
Mashed Potatoes with Mushrooms or Zucchini: This works with both the mushrooms in the principle recipe or the earlier variation. Substitute peeled baking potatoes, like russets, for the cauliflower. After cooking, mash by hand with a fork or potato masher—don’t use an immersion blender or they’ll get gummy. They could want 10 minutes extra cooking time, relying on how small you chop them.
Button vs. Cremini Mushrooms
The second are darker, barely firmer—and normally dearer—than the primary. So what’s the distinction between widespread button mushrooms and more and more widespread cremini (that are in actual fact child portobellos)? They’re interchangeable in recipes, although cremini normally don’t launch fairly as a lot liquid throughout cooking, so the pan would possibly dry out extra rapidly. For a extra sturdy taste and look, go the cremini route; for milder mushroom style and a extra supple texture, select button mushrooms. Each have edible stems, so all it’s good to do is trim off the hardest bits on the backside.
