Preparation Time : 25 -30 minutes
Cooking Time : 35 minutes
Serving : 5-6 members
Description
Grilled semolina cakes with mushroom ragout . A recipe I came across in a magazine where they had used polenta . Thinking I had polenta in hand started of with the recipe but then what I thought was polenta was couscous . My mind was set to prepare this dish so just didn’t want to stop . Not knowing what to do , I remembered a contestant in master chef India season 2 making sushi with semolina . With a spark of excitement ,substituted polenta with semolina and went ahead . Finally not having half the ingredients in hand that was demanded in the recipe . I had no other option other than to steel the idea and cook to my comfort level . Double checked making sure the semolina cake as well as the mushroom ragout tasted good . Assembled and while clicking picture’s , the entire family was in the dinning table . Rushed to the table and served . It was a hit with every one . This dish is a perfect vegetarian canopy that lends a rustic appeal to the succulent texture’s . The boring semolina was created with a cracker of an idea into an exotic gourmet transformation that brought a lot of smiles at home :-)))
Ingredients for semolina cake
Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Butter | 20 grams |
| Onion | 1 big chopped |
| Garlic | 4 flakes chopped |
| Dried herbs ( oregano , rosemary , thyme , basil ) | 1/4 teaspoon each |
| Semolina | 1 cup |
| Water or chicken/ vegetable stock | 2 1/2 cups ( I used 2 maggi chicken stock cubes with water ) |
| Salt + pepper | to taste , ( if using stock cubes avoid salt as the stock cubes contain a lot of salt ) |
| Parmesan cheese | 50 grams grated ( I didn't use to omit a little bit of calories ) |
| Oil | 50 ml + extra |
Ingredients for mushroom ragout
Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Mushrooms | 1 packet sliced ( I used button mushrooms ) |
| Butter | 20 grams |
| Onion | 1 chopped |
| Garlic | 3 flakes crushed |
| Fresh cream | 1/4 cup |
| Flour ( maida ) | 1 tablespoon full |
| Milk | 1 cup |
| Dried herbs | ( oregano , rosemary , thyme , basil ) a big pinch each |
| Chilli flakes + salt + pepper | to taste |
| Coriander leaves | to garnish |
Method for semolina cake
- Heat butter in a pan . Sauté onion and garlic to translucent . Add dried herbs , chilli flakes and pepper powder .
- Pour stock or water along with stock cubes . Bring to boil .
- Add semolina little at a time , stirring constantly , making sure no lumps are formed and semolina is cooked through to form a thick paste consistency like uppma .
- Takes about 6-8 minutes to cook . add grated cheese and mix well .
- Grease a flat cake tin or tray with oil and pour the semolina cooked mixture in .
- Spread the mixture equally all over , levelling the top .cool completely .
- Then cut into equal shaped squares with the help of a wet knife .
- Heat a griddle with little oil ( I used my dosa tawa ) and grill the semolina cakes to a light golden brown colour and a crisp outer layer .
Method form mushroom ragout
- Heat butter in a pan .
- Sauté onion , garlic and sliced mushrooms for 5 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked through and water content evaporates .
- Add flour and sauté for a minute .
- Pour milk and cream , keep stirring until it gets to a thick creamy sauce .
- Season with salt , pepper , chilli flakes and dried herds . Taste and adjust .
How to proceed
- Place a teaspoon full of mushroom ragout above each grilled semolina cake .
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot .
