I found these local king trumpet mushrooms at a little market near Sebastopol. I tried to walk away from them but I kept going back because they were so fresh and pristine and beautiful. A worthy splurge. I wanted to prepare them very simply so that the mushrooms could really shine. I didn’t salt or pepper the sauté and I made the polenta plain. Because of this I think it’s really important to finish the dish with a drizzle of olive oil – it adds just the right amount of richness without taking anything away from the mushrooms.
Here is a dish that doesn’t want cheese on it. As I ate it I had no desire to add any Parmesan curls* or feta. It was perfect as it was. For my vegan friends – if you don’t already prepare mushrooms this way – please try it!
Ingredients
- 1 cup fine polenta
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lb King Trumpet mushrooms
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp parsley, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced fine or pressed
- olive oil for finishing
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil in a medium sauce pan and add the salt to the water.
- Once boiling turn the heat to low.
- Whisk the polenta into the water.
- Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.
- Clean the mushrooms.
- Trim off the ends of the stems and slice mushrooms lengthwise. (Small ones in half and large ones in three slices.)
- Heat olive oil in a sauté pan on med/high. When hot toss the mushrooms in the oil and sauté until they are cooked all the way through and are golden at the edges.
- Turn the heat down to med/low and add the parsley and garlic and cook for a couple more minutes stirring frequently so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Ladel the polenta into bowls.
- Top each bowl of polenta with the mushrooms.
- Drizzle olive oil over each serving.
Notes
If you use a medium or coarse grind of polenta you'll need to give it more time to cook. I prefer the finely ground polenta both for its smoother texture and speed of cooking.
You can substitute the king trumpets with any other mushroom but I hope you can find these because they're really wonderful.
This dish is vegan and gluten free (provided your polenta was not processed in a plant that also processes gluten products).
*Like I ever actually make Parmesan curls? Right. I’m the girl who dumps piles of grated Parmesan on everything.