Creamy polenta with grilled portabella & zucchini

This dish was created tonight on a whim, although I had the basic polenta recipe made with water. I added stock & cheeses for more complexity & richness. We enjoyed this meal with a crisp & refreshing wine called Opalla~one of our favorites & it's a great price too! Pick up at Whole Foods. Cheers!

Creamy polenta

serves 4-6

4-c. water, filtered

1-c. corn meal, fine

4- tsp. More than gourmet chicken stock

1/4 c. parmesan reggiano

shaved gruyere cheese to taste( I used approx. 3 Tb.)

1-tsp. sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

Bring water & stock to a boil, turn down to med. low heat & slowly stir in corn meal. Stir frequently for approx. 40 min. Set a small pot of water on low to add to polenta as needed, if the consistency is too thick.

Grilled portabella mushrooms & zucchini

5- portabella mushrooms, large

5-zucchini, medium

3-garlic cloves, minced

2-Tb. olive oil

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Dash of thyme

Preheat large grill pan on med. high heat, wash veggies in filtered water, slice mushrooms approx. 1/4" thick & zucchini 1/4" julienne slices, brush veggies with canola oil & place on grill. Start a sauce pan on med. low, add olive oil, garlic & red pepper flakes & saute for approx. 3 min. & set aside.

Grill veggies until browned on each side but still aldente. Season with salt & pepper & toss in the olive oil garlic mixture.

Place a bed of polenta on a plate, top w parmesan reggiano & then add grilled veggies. Top with a sprinkle of more parmesan & a dash of fresh thyme.

Made with love,

Jodi