Creamy Coconut Saffron Polenta
Creamy Coconut Saffron Polenta
Happy #Vaganuary 🌱 If you thought of trying to go vegan, this is your chance. This whole month of January, people are encouraged to try vegan lifestyle. There are so many resources to help you. Just ask me! I am always here to help! My DMs are always open.
When I became vegan, mushrooms always were my go to when I was replacing meat in my recipes. Plus the mushrooms are truly a super food and are packed with vitamins and minerals.
I finally had an opportunity to experiment with Morel mushrooms recently and now I am completely obsessed.
These elusive and expensive mushrooms are only grown in the wild, making them a hot commodity among chefs and mushroom enthusiasts alike. It’s very hard to find fresh morels. Dry morels are commonly used in the culinary world as they are more accessible. I was fortunate enough to score a bag from my friends at @mountainmeadowmushroomfarms in Escondido.
Morel mushrooms have a very earthy and nutty taste. Sharing my recipe for this cozy Coconut Saffron Polenta with Morel Mushrooms. If you don’t have access to morel mushrooms, you can use shiitake or cremini for this recipe.
Ingredients
1 cup of dry morels or you can also use dry shiitake or fresh cremini mushrooms
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of vegan butter
1 large onion sliced
1/2 cup of mushroom dashi
Saffron essence
Salt and pepper
Polenta ingredients:
3 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups of organic medium ground cornmeal
2 tsp of kosher salt or to taste
1 can coconut milk (15 oz can)
Fresh ground black pepper
Few strings of saffron for the saffron essence
Vegan Parmesan and some dill for garnish
Method
Wash the dry morels several times then soak them in hot water with one tbsp of sea salt. Set aside for 20 min. Meanwhile, sauté sliced onions with 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1/3 water until it’s caramelized. Carefully remove the soaked mushrooms by squeezing the water out. Save the mushroom dashi for later use. Add the drained mushroom to the caramelized onions, with 1 tbsp of butter and sauté for about 10 min over a med heat by stirring the mushrooms continuously. Season with salt and pepper. Add the 1/2 cup of mushroom dashi from the soaked mushrooms. Mix few strings of saffron to a mortar and grind it until fine. Add few tablespoons of hot water to release the essence. Add the saffron essence to the mushrooms. Simmer for 15 min or until the mushroom dashi is reduced to half. Set aside.
For the polenta.
1. Combine vegetable broth and polenta in a medium sauce pan. Bring it to boil, whisk in the cornmeal constantly to prevent lumps. Continue whisking until the polenta begins to thicken. Add salt.
2. Reduce heat so that the polenta bubbles slowly.
3. Grind the saffron in the mortar then add some hot water to it to release the flavors and color.
4. Add coconut milk and saffron essence. Whisk to combine. Cook stirring occasionally, for about 10 min until the polenta becomes soft and creamy.
5. When the polenta is complete, turn off the heat and add more salt and pepper to taste. If the polenta becomes too thick, you can stir in a bit of water or coconut milk to loosen it up. Serve it with braised mushrooms.
