Polenta ai Funghi is won in the pan before the mushrooms ever meet the cornmeal. If the mushrooms crowd, they steam. If they brown in batches, the whole dish tastes deeper.
The second checkpoint is the polenta itself. Keep it loose enough to settle into the bowl, because it firms as soon as it leaves the heat. A splash of hot water at the end is not a rescue move. It is how polenta behaves.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Cover the dried porcini with 2 cups boiling water and soak 15 minutes. Lift the mushrooms from the liquid, chop them, and strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or fine cloth.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a wide skillet. Brown the fresh mushrooms in two batches with salt and pepper, 6 to 8 minutes per batch, so they color instead of steam.
Return all mushrooms to the skillet. Add the porcini, garlic, and wine, then cook 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup strained soaking liquid and simmer until glossy.
Whisk the polenta with 1 cup cold water in a heavy saucepan. Add the milk, 3 cups water, and salt, then bring to a simmer while whisking.
Cook 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until the polenta tastes tender and pours slowly. Add hot water as needed to keep it loose.
Stir in the butter and Parmigiano Reggiano. Spoon into bowls and top with the mushrooms, parsley, black pepper, and the remaining olive oil.
You made Polenta ai Funghi. Time to eat.
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Serve polenta a little looser than you think. By the time it reaches the table, it will have tightened to the right spoonable texture.
Six Italian regions. Nothing reformulated. Imported direct.
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