We are on episode 9 of House of Cards and  I don’t know what are we going to watch once we’re done with the season. I guess wait another endless year! At least Netflix puts it out there for you to watch it at your own discretion. The problem is to be as weak as we are and not being able to put down the remote without  hitting  ‘another one’.

Fortunately, Game of Thrones will be airing soon. I always say that I won’t start watching it until the season is over but I can’t since I can hear my husband watching it in the living room. And then not knowing what is going on with all those people?! Who killed who?! Who died and then didn’t? I will try harder this time. Can’t wait for Game of Thrones though. For such a strong person I am a very weak woman (ha!).

I have been feeling like having something warm, homey, healthy and vegetarian lately.  Mushroom sauce for me is one of the basics. It goes well with almost any dish…beef (if you eat beef), chicken, turkey, over rice, polenta and even pasta! This sauce could easily be the base of a good mushroom soup, just adjusting a few ingredients here and there and adding some more.

I paired this mushroom sauce with creamy polenta for this post. The combination is delicious. The creaminess of the polenta and the sweetness and richness of the mushroom sauce…Yum!

This mushroom sauce is very low in fat so I went a little overboard with the polenta. I usually just add a little butter and parmesan, but this time I used mascarpone cheese. I can’t even begin to tell you the difference that it made, the flavor is beyond tasty.

Below is what you need to make this dish. Enjoy!

Mushroom Sauce over Polenta

Yield
Sauce: 3 - 4 Servings
Polenta: 2 Servings

Ingredients

For the Mushroom Sauce:

8 oz of white mushrooms, sliced

7 oz of cremini mushrooms, sliced

3 shallots, thinly sliced

1 clove of garlic, minced

3 green onions, chopped (green and white parts)

1/4 cup of red wine (merlot) or marsala wine

1 tbsp  of balsamic vinegar reduction

1/2 cup of vegetable broth or chicken broth

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch

1 tbsp fresh thyme

1 tbsp fresh italian parsley

1 tsp of salt + 1/2 tsp pepper (to taste)

Polenta (For 2 servings)

2 cups of water

8 tbsp Polenta

1/2 tsp of salt + a sprinkle of pepper

2 tbsp (a little less) of mascarpone cheese

Parmesan cheese

 

 

Instructions

Place 1 tbsp of olive oil in the skillet at medium heat. Add the shallots and green onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes or until it starts to get translucent. Add the remaining tbsp of olive oil, mushrooms, garlic, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Mix and cook until mushrooms start to brown.

In a small bowl whisk the arrowroot or cornstarch with the broth – add a full tbsp or less depending on the desired consistency of the sauce. Add the balsamic vinegar and wine to the mushrooms. Scratch borders of the skillet and stir with the spoon until the wine is almost evaporated. Add the broth and arrowroot mixture and stir until starts to thicken and lower the heat for a few minutes. Set aside.

For the polenta, add water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Gradually add the polenta, constantly whisking and stirring with a wooden spoon until it starts to thicken – I used precooked polenta, which takes 5 – 7 minutes. Once the polenta is thick and mixed, add the mascarpone cheese and stir until melted and integrated to the polenta. Adjust salt and pepper as necessary.

 

 

Notes

Serve the polenta, sprinkle some parmesan cheese. Pour the mushroom sauce on top and add some parsley. Enjoy!