You can make it if you try

When we were on holiday in California, about 100 years ago, we ate a couple of times in a local restaurant of which the name escapes me at the moment, sorry. One time, the DSM had as a starter this really delicious dish of "soft" polenta with.....? We remember some kind of mushrooms.

Being me, I never thought to ask for the recipe, and did eventually want to have a go at reproducing it. Well, I don't know if I succeeded in that, but what I made last night for supper was pretty dam' good, whatever.

And this considering I had fallen asleep and had to get up at the run to come up with an edible meal at all - impressive, or what!

I used to use quick cooking polenta, but come to the conclusion - prompted by its disappearance from the local shops - that regular was just as easy and tasted better. So I made it in the normal way, then added a bit more water, and melted a chunk of Dolcelatte into it. (Note to self - use more next time, it barely tasted.) Then, just prior to serving, I stirred in a couple of dessertspoonfuls of single cream. I do realise that this sounds a bit heavy on the fat, but it really wasn't too bad, and we are extremely low fat most of the time so we feel that we can indulge occasionally.

Then, in a saute pan, I thoroughly cooked in a little olive oil some thinly sliced onion (half moons) and a lot of thickly sliced regular mushrooms. I think chestnut would be better, actually. Threw in some finely chopped sun dried tomato, fresh ground black pepper and some (dried) sage. On mature reflection, I think that basil would taste better and continue the vaguely Italian theme.

And that, my ducks, was that. The polenta went into one of our newish large bowls and the mushrooms were plonked on top. A glass of red wine, and we were set. A new staple dish for the repertoire.

In further news - I can play DVDs on the laptop, and I didn't finish the not-Beetons, but am close. One foot in front of the other.