Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Sauce

Tom is back home. Walking with a cane now, which he didn't have before the fall and which he accepted after minimal argument when Dr. Lewis said he'd recommend it. He told me Tuesday it felt strange to use one but that it changed how he moved on uncertain ground and he supposed that was the point. He told me this while using the cane to walk from the kitchen to the living room and the walk was steadier than it would have been without it. He knows. He's just registering the strangeness because he's Tom Whelan and registering it is his version of adapting to it.

Claire is coming up in February. I didn't tell her about the fall directly — Tom called her himself, which I didn't know he was going to do. She said she'd come up and stay for a week and help him think about the setup of the house for safety. He told me she was coming and used the word help in the tone of a man who understands that the help will arrive regardless of what he says about it. I think he's glad, underneath. The company and the care from his family. Not everyone has it at eighty and he knows that.

The Dr. Crain sessions have moved to monthly now. Not because the work is done — I don't think that work is ever done — but because the frequency I need has reduced as the acute things have resolved. She said she'd keep a monthly slot for me as long as I wanted it. I said I was grateful for the access. It's changed a lot in the past year. I'm a different person than I was when I first called. That's the accurate thing to say.

Made a beef and barley soup from the last of the neck bones in the freezer. January soup. The kind that fills the house with smell for four hours and keeps for a week. Ate a bowl at the workbench Sunday evening reading Tom's new draft sections for the mule book. He's a very good writer. I still want to tell him so more often than I do. He wouldn't welcome the frequency but the assessment stands.

The soup used the last of what I had in the freezer, and by the time the week turned I wanted something that took its time on the stove again — something that asked for a little patience and gave back warmth in return. Polenta is that kind of dish for me. You stand with it, you stir, and the mushroom sauce builds slowly in the pan the same way the steadier things in life seem to: not all at once, but present by the time you need them.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 50 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the polenta:
4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup coarse-ground polenta (not instant)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil (for grilling)
For the mushroom sauce:
1 lb mixed mushrooms (cremini and shiitake), sliced
1 medium shallot, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine or low-sodium vegetable broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

Cook the polenta. Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in polenta and salt in a slow, steady stream. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until polenta is thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 25–30 minutes.
Set and chill the polenta. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and Parmesan until melted and smooth. Pour into a lightly oiled 8x8 baking dish and spread to an even 3/4-inch layer. Let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, then refrigerate uncovered until firm, at least 20 minutes.
Build the mushroom sauce. While the polenta sets, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Add mushrooms in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until browned, then stir and continue cooking another 3 minutes.
Deglaze and finish the sauce. Pour in the wine (or broth) and scrape up any browned bits. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add cream and thyme, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until sauce thickens slightly, 4–5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm on low.
Grill the polenta slabs. Remove polenta from the refrigerator and cut into 8 even rectangles. Brush both sides lightly with olive oil. Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Grill polenta slices 3–4 minutes per side, undisturbed, until deep grill marks form and the edges are lightly crisped.
Serve. Arrange two polenta slabs on each plate and spoon mushroom sauce generously over the top. Finish with chopped parsley and an extra grating of Parmesan if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Sauce — Something Warm When the Work Is Slow