Pan Fried Polenta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

A fancy and romantic date night dish, inspired by a high end Italian restaurant, made easy.

*Easily adjust serving size to your liking by clicking the number under servings or with the boxes below in the ingredients section.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Ingredients

For the Fried Polenta

▢ 1 4x8 inch strip Creamy Polenta cooled + set
▢ ½ Cup All-purpose flour sub gluten free flour to make gluten free
▢ ¼ Cup Olive Oil for frying
▢ Salt to taste

Instructions

To Make the Fried Polenta

Carefully remove the cooled polenta from the baking dish and place on a cutting board. Use a butter knife and gently release the polenta from the edge of the dish if needed.
Slice a strip about 4 inches wide and 8 inches long. Cut that strip in ½ to make 4x4 inch squares. Cut the squares in ½ on the diagonal to make a triangle.
Carefully coat the top and bottom of the polenta triangles in flour. Try not to get the sides of the polenta covered in flour.
Preheat olive oil in a frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat.
While the polenta is frying, start the mushroom sauce.
Once the oil is hot, add the polenta triangles, bottom side in the oil. Cook 5 minutes or until golden brown and releases easily from the pan. Flip the polenta triangle over and cook the top side for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Remove from pan and set on a cooling rack over a baking sheet (this will keep the polenta crispy) season with salt.

To Make the Mushroom Cream Sauce

In a saute pan over medium - high heat add: the lemon olive oil and minced shallots. Saute 3 - 5 minutes or until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft, about 5- 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn down the heat to medium if needed.
Stir in garlic and salt, then deglaze the pan with wine and allow to simmer for 3 minutes to remove the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and reduce 3 -5 more minutes.
Stir in the mascarpone or cream cheese and allow to melt, about 2 mins.
Stir the parmesan cheese and heavy cream until melted.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Does it need more salt? More Lemon?

Plating

Place 2 polenta triangles on a plate, spoon the mushroom sauce to cover, sprinkle with chopped parsley and grated parmesan and serve!

Notes

** Make the creamy polenta the night before and allow it to take shape.

**Meyer Lemon Olive Oil – I find the lemon flavored olive oil makes this dish extra special. If you don’t have it on hand simply substitute with 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest.

**Dry White Wine – This is one of the defining flavors of the dish, so choose a wine you would drink. If you don’t drink wine, use ¾ cup stock and add 1-2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar.

**Grate the parmesan cheese fresh with a microplane (affiliate link), so that the cheese easily melts into the sauce.

**Season and rest the finished polenta on a cooling rack. If you cool the polenta on a plate or cutting board, the bottom side may lose that crispy crust.

**I don't recommend keeping the polenta warm in the oven. The polenta crust will get soft and you'll lose the crispy exterior.

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