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After a shopping trip, we had tilapia. We also had mushrooms. Rather a lot of mushrooms, as we *already* had mushrooms that I had forgotten about. Whoops. So it became necessary to use them, and of course tilapia must be cooked quickly lest it go all fishy.
After doing a little research, I decided that a bed of soft polenta would be tasty, and covering it with a mushroom cream sauce would work. Adding a little sherry to the sauce would add character. What I came up with was well worth it. I even forgot the cheese on the polenta (and a bite of the polenta without the sauce shows it) but it didn't really matter.
I've never made polenta before, so I wasn't sure what I was getting into. Turns out it works a bit like malt o meal, which I make for breakfast once a week or so.
Heat the broth and milk in a sauce pan, add the salt. When it boils, reduce to a bare simmer. Add the cornmeal *slowly*, whisking constantly to keep it from lumping up. Also, be very careful when it starts really thickening, as it will spatter. That hurts, trust me. When the corn meal is all merged in, cook for another 20 or 30 minutes on low heat. Whisk in the cheese.
Saute the mushrooms and garlic in the half the butter. Most recipes call for onion or scallion here, but I had none. I think scallion would work well; if you have one, chop a scallion or two and saute them at the same time.
When the mushrooms are good and sauteed, add the corn starch and combine with the remaining butter. I find that the mushrooms are good at soaking up the butter so I actually had to add a little more here; you may not need the full 4tbs. Once the corn starch is fully integrated with the butter, add the milk, stock and thyme. Heat to a simmer, then simmer for a time to thicken. Add the sherry when it's nearly done. THe measurement on the sherry was "pour some in". Actually to be fair, it was on the stock and milk, too.
The fish is pan fried very simply in a small amount of butter with salt and fresh ground pepper; cooked until tender and flakey.
Spoon out some polenta. Flatten. Put a small spoonful of the sauce on the polenta. Put the fish on top of that, and then another spoonfull of the sauce on the fish. Enjoy!
After doing a little research, I decided that a bed of soft polenta would be tasty, and covering it with a mushroom cream sauce would work. Adding a little sherry to the sauce would add character. What I came up with was well worth it. I even forgot the cheese on the polenta (and a bite of the polenta without the sauce shows it) but it didn't really matter.
The polenta
I've never made polenta before, so I wasn't sure what I was getting into. Turns out it works a bit like malt o meal, which I make for breakfast once a week or so.
- 2 cups broth (vegetable or chicken. I see no reason any other broth would not work here)
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup corn meal
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (I saw many recipes call for many different kinds of cheese; they all went for strong aged white cheeses, though).
Heat the broth and milk in a sauce pan, add the salt. When it boils, reduce to a bare simmer. Add the cornmeal *slowly*, whisking constantly to keep it from lumping up. Also, be very careful when it starts really thickening, as it will spatter. That hurts, trust me. When the corn meal is all merged in, cook for another 20 or 30 minutes on low heat. Whisk in the cheese.
The sauce
- 1 pound of sliced mushrooms. I had brown crimini mushrooms.
- A spoon full of crushed or chopped garlic
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tbs (maybe more) corn starch
- a cup (roughly) of broth (same as above)
- a cup (roughly) of milk
- 1/2 tsp of ground thyme
- 1 tablespoon (or so, heh) dry sherry)
Saute the mushrooms and garlic in the half the butter. Most recipes call for onion or scallion here, but I had none. I think scallion would work well; if you have one, chop a scallion or two and saute them at the same time.
When the mushrooms are good and sauteed, add the corn starch and combine with the remaining butter. I find that the mushrooms are good at soaking up the butter so I actually had to add a little more here; you may not need the full 4tbs. Once the corn starch is fully integrated with the butter, add the milk, stock and thyme. Heat to a simmer, then simmer for a time to thicken. Add the sherry when it's nearly done. THe measurement on the sherry was "pour some in". Actually to be fair, it was on the stock and milk, too.
The fish
The fish is pan fried very simply in a small amount of butter with salt and fresh ground pepper; cooked until tender and flakey.
Plating
Spoon out some polenta. Flatten. Put a small spoonful of the sauce on the polenta. Put the fish on top of that, and then another spoonfull of the sauce on the fish. Enjoy!
