Polenta Integrale con Funghi Selvatici Trentini

Ingredients

• For the polenta
• 500 g polenta integrale trentina, stone-ground whole-corn, bran and germ intact, milled below 60 °C
• 2 litres water, salted generously before the polenta is added
• 30 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes — for mantecare off heat
• For the mushrooms
• 150 g finferli (chanterelles), cleaned, torn if large
• 150 g porcini, cleaned, sliced 5 mm
• 100 g trombette dei morti (trumpet of the dead), cleaned, left whole or halved
• 100 g chiodini (honey mushrooms), cleaned, stems trimmed
• 60 g unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, lightly crushed
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• To finish
• Spressa delle Giudicarie DOP, aged, finely grated — optional

Method

1. 1
   Bring 2 litres of well-salted water to a rolling boil in a heavy copper or cast-iron pot. Pour the 500 g of polenta integrale in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps forming. Once fully incorporated, switch to a long wooden paddle (canna). Salt added now into unseasoned water will not correct the polenta later — the grain must cook in seasoned water from the outset. The surface will bubble sluggishly and the colour will deepen to a warm ochre.
2. 2
   Stir continuously with the wooden paddle for the full 50 minutes over a medium-low flame, scraping the base and sides of the pot without pause. This is where the dish lives or dies: any rest allows starch to settle and scorch, and a bitter burnt note will penetrate the entire polenta and cannot be corrected. At 50 minutes the polenta will pull cleanly away from the sides of the pot and hold the impression of the paddle.
3. 3
   Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the cold butter cubes (mantecare) until fully melted and absorbed. The surface of the polenta will take on a slight sheen and the texture will loosen fractionally. Cover and hold while the mushrooms are prepared.
4. 4
   Melt the 60 g of butter for the mushrooms in a wide sauté pan over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves and fresh thyme sprigs. Allow them to infuse the fat for 1–2 minutes until the butter foams and carries the scent of both aromatics — the fat must be flavoured before the mushrooms enter the pan.
5. 5
   Add the finferli first and sauté for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. They will release their water and begin to colour at the edges. Add the sliced porcini and continue for 3 minutes; they will soften and colour in the butter already flavoured by the chanterelles. Add the trombette dei morti and sauté for a further 2 minutes. Finally add the chiodini and cook briefly until just tender. Each variety must retain its own texture — press a piece of porcini gently; it should yield without collapsing.
6. 6
   Remove and discard the garlic and thyme stems. Reserve all juices in the pan. Spoon the polenta onto warmed plates or a large wooden board. Distribute the mushrooms over the polenta and drizzle the reserved sauté juices from the pan over each portion. If using, grate Spressa delle Giudicarie DOP directly over the mushrooms. The finished dish should carry the distinct aroma of the forest floor cut with warm butter.