Yesterday I made the Ramekins Of Mushroom Ragout With Polenta Topping from
the January issue of Veggie Life. In one of the steps the directions say
to make a roux of butter and flour. I live a very fatfree life and wasn't
sure how to do this without the fat and make the roux. I have to admit
that I ended up following the directions because I was talking long
distance with my d-i-l at the same time and couldn't add the third task of
thinking! The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup flour.
5. In a large, deep saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from
heat and stir in flour a teaspoon at a time, whisking as you go. Return
saucepan to heat and cook over medium-low heat until flour begins to brown,
a minute or two. Stir in onion, then slowly whisk in wine. Reduce heat and
simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and
pepper.
I was looking for a fancy-pants main dish to serve for company on New
Year's Eve. I think that this one is just too much work for the final
product. It has many steps and took hours from beginning to end. I didn't
care much for the taste of the Ragout alone or the Polenta alone, but they
worked okay together. DH said he really liked it, but maybe he was just
being polite after I spent so many hours in the kitchen. I started it
about 5 pm and we ate at 9 pm, although 1+ hour phone call while cooking
may have slowed things up. And this recipe left a zillion dirty dishes. I
like company main dishes that can be made early in the day and put in the
frig and then reheated.
Kathleen
schuller@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------