Basil Mushroom Ragout with Cauliflower Polenta

A rich dreamy mushroom ragout with caramelized onions, garlic, red wine, fresh rosemary and basil over creamy cheesy cauliflower “polenta” (where cauliflower masquerades as polenta), this delightful low-carb, plant based meal makes living through yet one more frigid winter day bearable.

Oh winter, will you ever stop? Since January, it feels like we’ve had either frigid cold days or snow days where we’re getting DUMPED on. It just keeps going back and forth between SNOW and COLD. As soon as it’s done snowing, we all go out and shovel, then the temps take a dive and everyone hibernates inside. Today yet another horribly cold day … my son and I were going to brave the cold and go to the gym, but when he bailed on me, I just couldn’t make myself do it. I want to crawl in my bed like a big ol’ bear and not come out until spring.

All I want to cook is bread and soup and comfort food and chocolate. Carbs are on my mind a LOT, especially with Janice, my beloved sourdough starter, taunting me from the door of the fridge every time I open it. For instance, on Sunday I made honey sourdough buns for my daughter, crescent rolls for my son, part whole wheat sourdough tortillas for whoever wants them … and THIS, for me. I am super proud of myself that I made comfort food that’s low carb! This dish nicely tricks my taste buds into thinking they are eating carbs. Because cauliflower is magical that way. I freaking LOVE all the things cauliflower can do!

A note about photography: I usually go outside to photograph my food (yes, even when it’s cold), but this winter is particularly hard. Our whole back patio is a mountain of snow. There have been a couple days when I cleared off the snow enough to take a few shots outdoors, but most days now it seems I’m having to resort to indoor photography and sometimes that just doesn’t work out at all. We do have better lighting in the kitchen now, but artificial lighting never looks as good as natural light. And lots of the photos turn out fuzzy, out of focus. Sigh. There have been a few good recipes I wanted to share with you that I just never got a good shot of! So please forgive me if my photos aren’t up to my normal standards and I’m not posting as often. I do have recipes I want to share with you. For this dish, I had to take the photos indoors and I am not really happy with the photos. I didn’t get any photos showing off the gravy part of the mushroom ragout, but just trust me, it’s there and it’s super tasty! … These photos are going to have to do because dang if I’m going to go out in 35 below wind chill to take food photos. I love you guys, but um, not quite THAT much.

So yeah, it’s March, shouldn’t spring be coming soon? Some days it doesn’t feel like it, but hey, days are getting longer … and at least I have fresh basil (with flowers!) and rosemary growing in my windowsill, and fresh oregano too. I noticed this morning there are buds on my geranium, so I should have some pretty red flowers soon too.

In other news, we have a new cat at my house. We just got him yesterday … he’s really sweet and affectionate. We have him separated from the other cats for now, living in my bedroom, so last night I didn’t get much sleep because he had a LOT to say in the middle of the night. It’s kind of a hassle now … we’ll slowly introduce him to the other cats, doing scent swapping first and then some brief introductions where they can see each other after a week or two. He’s helping with that by reaching his big silvery gray paws under the door … so far my little crazy calico is having none of that, but I hope she gets over it. I hope this all goes well and everyone gets along and the two younglings like to play together. Only time will tell … in the meanwhile, let’s have some mushroom ragout with cauliflower polenta.

Basil Mushroom Ragout with Cauliflower Polenta

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: About 4 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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For the cauliflower polenta:

• 1/2 of a head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 oz. Greek cream cheese (or Neufchatel)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 oz. shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese
• Sat & freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the Basil Mushroom Ragout:

• 1 Tablespoon grass fed butter (such as Kerrygold) or olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 – 3 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1/2 Tablespoon flour (for GF, use brown rice or coconut flour)
• 3/4 – 1 cup beef or veggie broth
• Fresh rosemary sprig
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 oz. Greek cream cheese (or Neufchatel)
• 4 – 6 fresh large basil leaves, chopped
• Salt & pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. Put the cauliflower in a steamer over boiling water and steam until tender, about 15 – 20 minutes.
2. While the cauliflower is cooking, melt the butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 10 – 15 minutes or until the onion is browned. Add the mushrooms, cover and cook for several minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the wine, sun dried tomatoes, rosemary and thyme. Cook uncovered stirring occasionally until most of the moisture is gone. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms, then stir in 3/4 cup of broth. Lower heat and cook for several more minutes until a nice gravy is achieved. Add extra broth if needed, to thin.
3. Once cauliflower is tender, put cauliflower in food processor with cream cheese, milk and shredded cheese. Blend until pureed. Add salt & fresh ground pepper to taste.
4. Right before serving, stir the chopped basil into the ragout. Serve hot “polenta” with mushroom ragout over top. Garnish with extra basil if desired.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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