Just go ahead and just laugh. I can take it. This is SUCH a weird looking recipe.
I almost didn’t share it because I was too, um, shy. I mean, shy about how it looks. As I blissfully ate every last bite from the big bowl sitting on my lap on the couch in front of the TV (<— we have a personal rule against that, but we do it sometimes anyways and it’s just the most cozy-nice thing), I started to realize that, in fact, the shapes and colors and general vibe of this whole dish just says Weirdo Person. And I started to second guess that anyone else is the world was going to give this even one second of their eyeballs. Sad face.
But the great thing about a blog is that even if everyone thinks you’re a little cray cray, slash even if you ARE a little cray-cray, you ultimately have the blog as an expression of yourself, by yourself, for yourself, reflecting yourself. So let me express myself and my current FOOD LOVE through this green-blobby-blob that might just be my favorite recipe of 2014. no seeeeriously.
So unrelated to the food, I have a confession to make. I’m really tired.
Amen! said the whole world. Unless one of you is harboring some secret super person energy, in which case please consult with me immediately. We had talked a little bit earlier this year about peace and rest and burnout and all those nice things that go along with the B word: balance.
Right now I feel like I am trying so hard to have peace that the trying to have peace is making me not have peace. And it’s also making me write like a maniac. So I’m a food weirdo and a writing maniac. Who.what.why.how.omg. Make it stop.
The good thing is that I love everything that I do for work and I want to do more of all of it, minus anything involving an alarm clock. But other than that.
I feel like I need 900 million hours in every day in order to do all the things I love. I can’t even keep up with myself right now and my food ideas and my students taking their big dramatic and important state tests and my ecookbook being almost done and our house and the boxes of un-put-together furniture downstairs and then a recipe like this comes along and slooooooows meeeee dooooown.
Yes. Sloooow. Like the nice, relaxing kind that makes you take a few long breaths. After a long day at job 1 and another long day at job 2, tonight I ate a big warm bowl of this, alone, on the couch, while watching a low-budget cooking show and wearing my pajamas at 7pm.
It was my favorite kind of food in my favorite kind of relaxed happy place.
This recipe speaks to my love of all things comforting/comfortable. The texture and saucy wonderfulness all piled up high together on a plate just makes my heart smile. The poblano mushrooms are spicy, warm, dreamy. You’re going to be roasting them and you’re going to be happy you did. They are the base of this flavor-rocking sauce that goes over the sauteed garlic butter mushrooms and over a scoop of semi-firm, chewy, and buttery polenta.
Everybody just breathe. *sigh*
Weirdly awesome food to the rescue, and just in time for the weekend. Holla back yo.
Creamy Poblano Mushrooms with Polenta
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This recipe for Creamy Poblano Mushrooms with Polenta is a simple vegetarian dish with tons of flavor! Simple and delicious!
Ingredients
For the Poblano Sauce:
- 2 poblano peppers
- 3/4 cup light sour cream
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
For the Mushrooms and Polenta:
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 16 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used baby bella and white button mushrooms)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 scant tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water (optional)
Instructions
- Sauce: Roast the poblano peppers over an open flame or in the oven until the outside is slightly charred. Place under a towel for a few minutes to steam and soften. Cut into pieces and set aside. Puree the sour cream, water, oil, garlic, and salt in a food process. Add the green onions and poblano peppers and puree until desired consistency is reached. I like to leave a little bit of texture in the sauce.
- Polenta: Bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add the cornmeal and salt; simmer until thick and bubbly, about 5-10 minutes, keeping in mind that the polenta firms up quite a bit as it cools. Add 1 tablespoon butter once removed from heat.
- Mushrooms: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and the mushrooms; saute until golden brown. Add the sauce and the cornstarch dissolved in water. Bring to a simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened. Serve the mushrooms and sauce over the polenta.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Keywords: poblano mushrooms, polenta recipe, poblano and polenta
