Crispy Polenta Chips with Gorgonzola Oyster Mushroom Sauce

(serves 4)

This is one of those guilty pleasures to be enjoyed once in a while, one of my wonderful friend Sririns' favourite dishes from Fratelli Fresh. The strong gorgonzola aroma is not for everyone but i'm glad to have friends that will opt the vegetarian option otherwise i would never have discovered this decadent dish! 

The original recipe was rather shocking, in a 'wow, this is a heart attack in a bite' way, but i've modified it and it tastes fairly similar, almost better in that you can actually finish your portion without feeling over-cheesed!

Prep time: 30 min (+overnight for polenta)

Cooking time: 40 min

Ingredients:
500g polenta
4 C water
4 C chicken stock
100g butter
100g parmesan, shaved


Gorgonzola Sauce:
400g oyster/pearl mushrooms
2 C vegetable stock
100mL cream
50mL white wine
120g gorgonzola
2 T plain flour


Method:
1. Bring the water and stock to the boil.
2. Slowly stir in the polenta with a whisk to ensure a smooth consistency.
3. Cook polenta for 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
NB. It will look cooked quite soon, but needs to be cooked at least 10 min until it starts to mould together well.
4. Remove polenta from the heat and stir in butter and parmesan, then place into a foil or baking paper-lined tray so that the polenta is approx 1-2cm thick. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

For the sauce:
5. Bring the vegetable stock, white wine and cream to the boil, slowly stir in the gorgonzola. Simmer  for 5-10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, separate the oyster mushrooms and cut the large mushrooms into thin strips. Sauté the mushrooms in a pan with 1/2 T olive oil, salt and pepper until brown.

7. Add the mushrooms to the gorgonzola sauce, and slowly sift the flour in a tsp at a time, stirring to break it up.
NB. The flour thickens the sauce, so add as much as you like. We generally like it as a thick creamy sauce so you can dip it!

8. Remove the polenta from the fridge and cut into long strips, approx 1.5cm x 10 cm.

9. To prepare the polenta, i tried 2 options;

i) Shallow fry: Crispy outside and soft on the inside.

Heat a pan with 1 T oil on medium heat and shallow-fry the polenta strips, rotating it regularly to get a golden crisp outside (approximately 5-8 minutes per batch)

ii) Baked: A more firm chewy texture.

Dress the polenta chips in olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 180˚C for 20-25 minutes or until golden turning at approximately 15 minutes.

10. Serve 4-6 polenta strips per person with a small bowl of sauce on the side!