Cheesy Polenta with Mushroom & Chicken Livers
Northern Italian Comfort Food—North of Rome: Polenta Replaces Pasta
Dec 6, 2008
Polenta is easy to make. Many cooks shy away from it because maybe it sounds exotic, but no secret handshake is necessary to learn the primary skill involved: stirring.
Is your food budget strained? Chicken livers are usually inexpensive, so this recipe gives you one more way to ease the strain. Liver is also full of iron and protein and, if you have the taste, great flavor. Not everyone is a fan, in which case, you could also make this recipe with chicken tenders in place of the chicken livers.
This recipe calls for Gorgonzola (and Parmigiano Reggiano) to flavor the polenta. Mountain Gorgonzola is widely available and inexpensive compared to many other blues, but other blue cheeses could be used instead.
Blue cheese is potentially another taste not everyone is fond of. On the other hand, the cheese is fully incorporated into the polenta so that this might be the dish to see if you can help someone realize it's not just a stinky cheese. If you fear a diner's rebellion, just replace the Gorgonzol with more Parmigiano Reggiano. You could still pass the Gorgonzola crumbles for blue cheese lovers.
Please don't skimp on the Parmigiano Reggiano. Do not attempt this recipe with the “Parmesan” that comes in the green cardboard canister. The difference is like night and cardboard.
Mushroom & Chicken Liver Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1+2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 pound chicken livers, trimmed and coarsely chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms
- 1 (14½ ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 cup dry white wine
Sauce Method:
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken livers and sauté, turning frequently so all sides brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside on a plate and cover loosely with foil or a pan lid. Do not overcook.
- Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the same skillet, still over medium heat. Add the onions and bell pepper and sweat them, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms have given up most of their liquid, about 3 minutes.
- Return the chicken livers to the pan and add the tomatoes and wine. Turn up the heat to medium-high and simmer until most of the liquid is gone, about 20 minutes. Just enough time to make the polenta.
Cheesy Polenta
You will need: a long handled wooden spoon. Are you ready to stir?
Ingredients:
- 2 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 cup dry polenta
- ¾ cup milk
- 3 ounces of Mountain Gorgonzola, crumbled
- ¼ cup grated, Parmigiano Reggiano
Polenta Method:
- Boil chicken broth in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When it's bubbling nicely, begin pouring the polenta, stirring vigorously as you do.
- Continue cooking and stirring for a few minutes and then stir in the milk. Reduce the heat to low, cover and continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until it is quite thick and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses.
To Serve:
When the mushroom-chicken liver sauce is ready, taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. You may not need additional salt if the chicken broth was salty.
Mound some polenta on each plate and spoon on the sauce.
If you really like it cheesy, try Soft Polenta with Three Cheeses!
If you can't live without cheese, indulgence your need with any of these recipes, including:
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