Categories: Italian, Main Dish, Polenta
Ingredients
- 2/3 pound (300 g, or about 2 cups) not too finely ground whole cornmeal (if possible, whole cornmeal made from corn that has not been degermed and is the equivalent of whole wheat flour)
- 1 quart (1 liter) milk
- 1/2 pound (212 g) Fontina cheese, shredded
- 2 yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 pound (450 g) mixed mushrooms, caps sliced and stems diced if they are tough
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
- 1 pint (500 ml) béchamel sauce (ready-made white sauce will be fine)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- A walnut-sized chunk of unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- 4 single-portion (about 4-inch, or 10 cm diameter) round molds
Directions
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Begin by heating the milk with a scant tablespoon of kosher salt. When it boils stir in the cornmeal, stirring vigorously to avoid the formation of lumps, and proceed to cook the polenta. Before removing it from the fire stir in half of the cheese and the butter, mixing well.
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ter removing the polenta from the fire stir in the egg yolks, and then turn the polenta out into a slightly buttered pan large enough for it to make a layer about a half-inch (1.25 cm) thick. Let it cool.
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Heat the olive oil with the garlic, and when the garlic begins to brown remove and discard it. Add the mushrooms, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook over a medium flame, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the liquid given off by the mushrooms has been reabsorbed. Upon removing the mushrooms from the fire, dust them with the parsley.
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While the mushrooms are cooking, preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).
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Butter your molds. Cut 8 rounds of polenta. Put one on the bottom of each of the molds. Cover the disks with about half the mushrooms, half the cheese, and half the béchamel sauce. Lay down a second round of polenta in each mold and cover them with the remaining ingredients, finishing with the fontina.
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Bake until the surfaces are pleasantly golden and serve at once.