Polenta with Wild Mushroom Ragù

Original recipe by: Leslie Brenner

This saucy, comforting dish was created during one of those make-something-out-of-nothing moments during The Great Confinement, but it was so good I’ll make it again and again. It can be on your table in under an hour. My recipe gives an easy method for letting the polenta cook in the oven (as opposed to constantly stirring and worrying over it on the stovetop); the easy, delicious ragù comes together while the polenta bakes. With a simple arugula salad, it makes a lovely, laid-back vegetarian (and gluten-free) dinner.

This recipe calls for 1 ounce of dried mushrooms. It’s ideal if some of them are porcini, but you can use any combination: porcini, shiitake, oyster mushrooms, hen-of-the-woods, etc. Alternatively, polenta prepared this way is also awesome with a meat sauce bolognese spooned over.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 ounce dried porcini or a combination of porcini and other mushro…