Vegan Mushroom Stew, Polenta with Truffle Oil & Crispy Sage
This is a recipe that hits close to home, my home country, Romania. I was practically raised with polenta, an essential traditional meal that my parents, and grandparents used to make on weekends, Easter celebration, as a side dish for our traditional recipes, and on so many other occasions.
I’ll always have my mom’s image engraved in my mind, making the tastiest mushroom stew from chanterelle mushrooms that were picked from the beautiful forest area of where I grew up. Chanterelle mushrooms are my absolute favourite to this day. The tastiest mushrooms on this planet, if you ask me.
Unfortunately, for creating this recipe I didn’t have a way to get the chanterelle mushrooms that are out of season, so I used my second favourite mushrooms, the crimini mushrooms. OK, now let’s pause for a second.
When it comes to mushrooms, I can tell you for sure that I call myself an enthusiastic mushroom lover. Say the word ‘mushrooms,’ and you get my attention. :)
My friends have fun (in a nice way, of course :)) of how much I love mushrooms. Yep! Trumpet, oyster, shiitake, maitake mushrooms …and the list goes on. I cook a mushroom dish for myself, at least once a week.
Are you a mushroom lover? You should be! :) Not only they’re healthy and so nutritious, but there is such a vast variety that you can choose from. Let’s take a quick example – the shiitake mushrooms, that I know you’ve heard of.
The healing properties of shiitake mushrooms are public knowledge, but they also make the tastiest mushroom broth. It’s an immune system booster when you’re down with a cold, or other affection. It’s my go-to broth during the winter season especially. Each individual type of mushroom is so unique, with a lot of health benefits attached, that I couldn’t cover the subject on a blog post, or two. But, you’ll hear from me again, and I shall return with other delicious mushroom recipes that I have in store for you.
Back to our polenta and mushroom stew making, I really wanted to create my own version of this delicious meal that I grew up with, and so I did. It’s a vegan gourmet version that I know you’ll love. It’s quick and straightforward to make, the perfect dinner meal even during the week.
The crunchy polenta and crispy sage are optional, but I do recommend you try them at least once. Both are meant to add some texture to the dish, but also to create a captivating fusion of flavours.
I personally do not fry foods, and therefore the crunchy polenta is not deep fried, but barely browned on a non-stick plant-based coating pan. If you would like to deep fry the polenta, please feel free, but I encourage you to try it my way, first. :) It’ a healthier option, that is plenty tasty.
Sage is the one herb (out of few others) that I always have in the house. It uniquely elevates a mushroom dish, wild mushrooms especially. If you haven’t used sage before in your mushroom dishes, you have the chance to start with this recipe. You’ll be impressed!
And, the polenta, my friends, it’s a must try as well. It might be a new dish for some of you, but it’s so easy to make. My recipe below explains every step, and you’ll see it’s easy peasy. Still, if you find it too difficult to make, no worries. You can replace the polenta with mash potatoes to go along with the mushroom stew. Get creative with your meals, and make it work for you in the best nutritious way possible. There is always a way as long as you’re looking for one! :)
I do hope you’ll try this dish. It’s a fantastic one, healthy comfort food for an evening when you’re in a mood to prepare a quick, easy dinner for just yourself, or your entire family. If you’re making the dish for more then two people, double the quantity of the ingredients. The polenta is quite filling and goes a long way.
Thank you for checking out this lovely Vegan Mushroom Stew, Polenta with Truffle Oil & Crispy Sage recipe. Leave a comment if you make it. I’d love to have your feedback.
And, don’t forget to connect with me on my social media platforms.
Until next time!
