Meatless Monday Recipe

Mushroom Ragout with Baked Goat Cheese Polenta

For goat cheese polenta:
3 cups water or vegetable broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup yellow corn meal or polenta

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped1 cup ricotta

2 eggs

1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan. Alternately, you can use an 8- or 9- inch pie pan or casserole and serve polenta from there without unmolding.

Bring water or broth and olive oil to boil in a large stock pot. Add corn meal all at once and gang way, because it may well splatter. Reduce heat to medium. Stir thoroughly and briskly until mixture is smooth and very thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes and sea salt. Remove from heat.
In a separate bowl, whisk together ricotta, eggs, goat cheese and fresh parsley. Stir into polenta.
Pour polenta into prepared springform, pie pan or casserole. Bake for 55 minutes to one hour, or until puffed and set.

For mushroom ragout:
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped fine

1 pound white mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3/4 cup red wine

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add chopped onion, garlic and rosemary. Saute until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue cooking another 10 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add tomato paste and stir in wine. Stir well to combine.
Slice polenta in wedges or squares and serve with mushroom ragout.
Serves 6 to 8.