Polenta and Leeks with a Mushroom Ragout

This weekend we had the pleasure of hosting our friend Joe Gocong.  Joe contributed quite a bit to the projects of the household in the past few days, and after 2 solid days of soundproofing our garage he was adamant about rewarding everyone's hard work.  Joe has a strong reputation for crafting a fine pizza pie, and he was excited to share his talent.  Regrettably I was not to be found amongst the gorging.  Chewing has become rather trying since starting my braces treatment on Thursday.

I could not sit back and let my jealousy stew, instead I took some regional inspiration from Joe's plan and picked up something from Ye Olde Whole Foods I would be able savor without the aid of pain killers.  I returned home with some coarse cornmeal and a bottle of my favorite relatively inexpensive Cabernet.  Luckily, like pasta and risotto, polenta leaves itself open for the addition of a multitude of ingredients.  When making this dish in the past I've used the red wine to braise torpedo onions and fennel, which I would definitely suggest trying, but I had a handful of cremini mushrooms hanging out in the fridge that needed some attention.  The mushrooms could have held their own in the ragout, but I had some sweet little sunburst tomatoes that I dried a few months ago while they were in abundance so I could carry their divine flavor into my winter dishes, and I was pretty pumped to try them out.  These are the results:

Polenta

1 1/2 cups polenta, or coarse cormeal

1 cup sliced leeks

2 T olive oil

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

a couple heavy pinches of salt

pepper

Bring the broth to a boil and reduce to a simmer in a small saucepan.  In a large pot heat the oil over medium-low heat.  Add the leeks and the salt, stirring occasionally for about ten minutes until soft but not browned.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Add the polenta slowly while stirring to avoid clumps.  Reduce the heat to a slow simmer.  When the water is absorbed start ladling in small amounts of broth at a time, letting each ladleful absorb before adding another and stir, a lot, until the polenta is soft and creamy.  If it looks a little dry just add a little more water, or maybe some cashew milk if you feel so inclined.  Season with pepper and more salt if desired.

Ragout

3 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup dried tomatoes (or one cup fresh cherry tomatoes sliced in half)

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1 cup dry red wine

1 1/2 t dry thyme

Salt and Pepper

2 T Olive Oil

Saute the mushrooms in oil with some salt in a large skillet over medium heat until the mushrooms have given up their moisture and are starting to brown.  Add the garlic and onions and saute until the onions are soft and then add the tomatoes, thyme, pepper and wine.  Reduce the wine until saucy consistency has formed. 

Plate the polenta and serve the ragout over top.  I sprinkled micro-basil over the ragout which added some really mild, earthy subtlety.  In addition to the basil, the arugula salad offered some color the plate was begging for.  Joe contributed all the photos.  He's leaps and bounds ahead of my grasp on my own camera.  I'd like to revisit this dish and alter the finished product, but considering the condition of my gums this was exactly what the doctor ordered.