Polenta with two types of mushrooms

David created this some time ago and I forgot to post the recipe which was apparently inspired by something he saw on display at Ottolenghi’s.

Ingredients:

1. Polenta
2. Cheddar Cheese
3. Shittake
4. Portobello
5. Parmesan
6. Garlic
7. Red Onion
8. Minced Rosemary
9. Fresh Thyme
10. Parsley
11. Chives
12. 3-4 tblsp of chicken broth (i.e. from organic chicken bouillon cube-- don't use Knorr/other brands with MSG).

Preparation:

1. Make a thickish polenta and at last moment add cheddar, chives, salt and pepper to taste;
2. Saute onions, rosemary, thyme in olive oil when onions are just golden, add mushrooms and put on high heat (get the mushrooms to sweat as quickly as possible, hence, add oil if necessary to get the cooking process going);
3. Add chicken broth to taste, let reduce quickly-the aim is to have a relatively fresh stew of mushrooms, rather than slower-cooked more intense option;
4. Add knob of butter, add parsley, chives, salt and pepper to taste;
5. When polenta is done, make sure it is thick so that you can poor onto a wooden cutting board. Spread polenta relatively evenly across the cutting board;
6. Grate more cheddar cheese over the surface of the polenta—kind of a sprinkling over the surface put mushrooms on top of polenta, grate parmesan over mushrooms, and drizzle olive oil over the top;
7. The polenta should be thick enough to serve up in slices. A perfect
8. snack, or light dinner with a green salad/lemony vinaigrette.

Fettuccine with mushrooms emulsified butter & lemon sauce

Ingredients

1. 150 grams of fettuccine
2. 50 grams shiitake thinly sliced
3. 50 grams field mushrooms thinly sliced
4. 50 grams ( or any other type of mushroom you happen to have including dried mushrooms in which case keep some of the liquid from reconstituting the dried mushrooms and add a little to the pasta sauce)
5. 100g unsalted butter
6. 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
7. 2 tbsp of roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
8. 2 tbsp of thyme
9. 1 tiny pinch of dried chilli
10. half a lemon

In half of the butter cook all the mushrooms and garlic until ready or about 10 minutes. When two minutes remain the parsley, thyme, chilli, the juice of the lemon, some of the dried mushroom liquid and the rest of the butter. Whisk the butter into the sauce so that it emulsifies, season with salt and pepper.

As you where cooking the mushrooms you should have been cooking the pasta in salted boiling water. Take the pasta out of the water and dry it when it is still quite firm then toss it in the mushroom sauce. Some parmesan on top and serve.