Poached Egg over Creamy Polenta [with Oyster Mushrooms, Blue Cheese and Pistachios]
Close your eyes for a minute and…
No, wait… scratch that. If you close your eyes, then how are you going to read the description and look at the pictures?
Well, alright, let’s start that over…
Keep your eyes open for a minute…
Now, imagine a warm, soft, ooey and gooey poached egg sitting on top of a pile of piping hot, luscious, creamy and dreamy polenta…
Now add a few meaty oyster mushrooms, pungent crumbled blue cheese and crunchy chopped pistachios to that chimerical vision.
Are you with me so far?
Could you think of anything better or more satisfying?
I’m not sure I could. Well, not at the moment at least. And I most certainly could not while I was actually eating that divine concoction.
You will of course guess that this was one of the last “grain filled” dishes that I got to enjoy before Lent started and I was to be without my beloved grains for 46 entire days.
I wanted my “final” dish to be extremely worthy.
I wanted it to be the kind of dish that you eat with your eyes closed. The kind of dish that almost makes time come to a halt for you.
The kind of dish that causes all sorts of appreciative noises to unvoluntarily escape from your lips…
Well, let me tell you, that one surely delivered.
It was everything I’d hoped it to be, and more.
So much so, I think this is the first “grain filled” dish that I will be enjoying once Lent is over.
Either that, or a great big bowl of piping hot oatmeal…
Uh oh! Is it me or do I sound like I have some sort of a huge craving for grains tonight?
Seriously… can you feel the love? Can you feel the desire?
Hey, it has been 3 weeks after all.
I’m not going insane, but I have to admit that tonight, in this very moment, I am totally hot for grains. 😉
Hey, I’m only human after all! I do have weaknesses, you know…
And polenta would be one of them!
Poached Egg over Creamy Polenta [with Oyster Mushrooms, Blue Cheese and Pistachios]
Ingredients
- ½ cup polenta (raw yellow cornmeal
- 2½-3 cups water, depending on how thick you like your polenta
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 40 g 5-6 oyster mushrooms
- 20 g pistachios
- 20 g blue cheese
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 poached egg
Instructions
- In large saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Add corn meal gradually, whisking continually. Once you have added all the cornmeal, lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until the polenta has reached desired consistency. Add more water if needed.
- Take off heat, stir in fresh thyme and pepper. Cover and set aside until plating.
- Drizzle a little bit of olive oil in a medium non stick frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add oyster mushrooms and cook until nice and golden on both sides, about 1 minute per side.
- Meanwhile, poach the egg by first cracking the egg into a small bowl and setting it aside. Then, heat a good amount of water in a shallow pan, add a pinch of salt and about a teaspoon of lemon juice. When water starts to simmer, gently slip the egg in the water and push it back with a spoon to help it take its shape. Cover and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until white is completely set and opaque but yolk is still runny. Remove from water and pat dry on a paper towel.
- Laddle polenta onto shallow serving plate. Top with oyster mushrooms and poached egg. Sprinkle blue cheese and chopped pistachios on top. Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh thyme.
- Serve immediately.
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
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9 Comments on “Poached Egg over Creamy Polenta [with Oyster Mushrooms, Blue Cheese and Pistachios]”
That looks like a delicious combination. You’re so creative!
Polenta and me are somehow not a really good combination. I’ve only eaten it three times so far, once in a restaurant, twice made by yours truly and didn’t like it on any of those occassions… Maybe it is me or maybe polenta and me are just not good friends somehow!
Oh my… in this very moment, I wish I could say the same. I just like polenta too much and it looks like the craving won’t subside. Do you think you could send a little bit of your “unappreciation” for polenta my way? Hmmm… I think I need to work on findind a replacement instead. Maybe buckwheat would do the trick! 😉 Oooooh, I think I’ll give that a try! Who knows, might be even better than the real thing!
(but seriously, I can’t believe you don’t like polenta… how could one not like polenta??? Are you sure about this, Simone? 😉 )
Sonia, if it’s possible to have a food orgasm, i just had one. twice.
this post is beautifully written and the dish gets me more excited than i can say. hang on, i just said. Food. Orgasm. Twice.
Seriously, this is one of the best posts you’ve done. love it. Pinning, bookmarking, and planning to make.
LOL, Kristy Lynn, your comment just sooo made my day! Thank you so very much! 😀
Looks like you and I are totally on the same page when it comes to polenta! You pretty much put the finger on exactly how I feel whenever I get to enjoy that deliciously creamy dish.
I hope you do try this version, and please, if you do indulge, let me know how the experience went for you! (although you don’t have to share ALL the details… 😉 )
it’s made! I did it. and i definitely did food orgasm!!
I’ve posted it today @ my sister blog “Taste Buds”: http://two-taste-buds.blogspot.ca/2012/03/poached-egg-over-creamy-polenta-with.html
thank YOU lovely 🙂
LOL! Kristy, I see that you and I definitely are on the same page when it comes to polenta. I look at your version and now I’m craving some big time. To help with that, I’ll try and create a creamy quinoa and amaranth warm breakfast cereal this week-end. Should give me that same comforting feeling… or close to it anyway! I was planning on doing something fruit / coconut, but now you got me wanting to throw a poached egg on there. I’m starting to consider a savory version.
Glad I could make you food orgasm… I think that’s a first for me. I’m truly flattered (and flushed!) Thanks for your lovely feedback, and blog entry! Gorgeous! 🙂
Oh my, I am going to need a mop to sop up all the drool that’s on my keyboard…polenta + mushrooms + cheese = heaven…I’m ready for my bowl now! 🙂
LOL! Looks like you and I really are on the same page when it comes to polenta! I’m just so happy that corn happens to be gluten free! 😀 I think I *could* potentially eventually give up on gluten, but on grains altogether? I doubt that I could do it. And polenta would be a major reason why. That, and oatmeal, of course!