POLENTA WITH MUSHROOMS, FAVAS AND TOMATOES

Polenta With Mushrooms, Favas and Tomatoes image

I can never resist adding fresh favas to a dish during their short season. The mushroom and tomato mixture is excellent on its own, but take advantage of favas before they disappear from the market.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Time 40m

Yield Serves four to six

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1 recipe Oven-Baked Polenta
1 pound fava beans, shelled
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste), preferably fresh green garlic, sliced thin
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
1/2 pound mushrooms, either regular or wild (or a combination), cleaned, trimmed and cut or torn in thick slices
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup dry white or red wine
1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with juice
Slivered fresh basil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Steps:

Make the polenta as directed, and while it is baking, cook the mushrooms and tomatoes.
Prepare the fava beans. Shell them while you bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Drop the beans into the water, and boil small favas for one minute, large favas for two, then transfer at once to a bowl of ice-cold water. Drain. Remove the skins, using your thumbnail to open up the skin at the spot where the bean is attached to the pod, then gently squeezing out the bean.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the mushrooms, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are moist and beginning to soften, about five minutes. Add the wine, turn up the heat and cook, stirring, until the liquid in the pan has reduced and glazed the mushrooms. Stir in the tomatoes, add salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down (there should still be some liquid in the pan) and the mixture is fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the skinned fava beans and continue to simmer for five to 10 minutes. Taste, adjust seasonings, and remove from the heat.
When the polenta is ready, remove from the heat, spoon onto plates and make a depression in the middle. Top with the mushrooms, favas and tomatoes, and sprinkle with basil and Parmesan. Serve at once.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 412, UnsaturatedFat 4 grams, Carbohydrate 78 grams, Fat 6 grams, Fiber 10 grams, Protein 15 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 633 milligrams, Sugar 11 grams