Slow Cooker Chianti Beef Over Polenta

Back in January David and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas with his family. It was my first time on a cruise, and my first time leaving the country. It was a wonderful experience. There was so much to do on board, from pools with water slides, to bars, to cooking classes. It was only a 4 day trip, but we packed in so many activities that by our last day we were exhausted. We decided that going to one of the on board restaurants for a romantic dinner would be a great last activity.

The restaurant that we chose was an Italian restaurant, and for a flat fee we could order as many courses as we wanted. It was hard to narrow down our choices, but after some debate we made our selection. One of the appetizers I chose was a Chianti braised beef ravioli. I am not the biggest ravioli fan, but this was AMAZING! It ranks pretty high on my list of the best foods I have ever had. To be honest, I don't really remember anything else that we ordered, it was that good.

Last night David and I were talking about the cruise, and the possibility of going on another one. I said that the first thing I would do would be return to that restaurant and order that ravioli. Then, I had the crushing revelation that I won't be able to. David, seeing the disappointment on my face, suggested that I try to recreate the dish at home.

I spent some time googling recipes, and learned that Chianti braised beef is a pretty common Italian dish, typically served over polenta (which is usually gluten-free)!

Beef rump roast approx 2 lbs
2 cups Chianti
1 1/2 cups broth or water (I used vegetable, because I had it on hand)
1 cup chopped onions
1 pack sliced white mushrooms
3 carrots
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper

1 pack polenta
2 tbsp olive oil

In a crock pot, combine all ingredients, minus the olive oil and polenta. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until beef  is tender and can be pulled apart with a fork.

Slice polenta in to 1/2 to 1 inch thick slices. In a frying pan, warm oil over medium heat. Add polenta slices, and lightly fry, flipping, until both sides are golden brown.

Remove polenta to bowl, and top with beef mixture, spooning broth on top.

Polenta Topped with Goat Cheese and a Mushroom Cream Sauce

A restaurant by where I used to live served this dish. It was quaint little wine bar, with an awesome patio. It was ideal to go there in the summer, and order a bottle of wine, and polenta with mushrooms and goat cheese. The dish is a great blend of creamy and earthy, sweet from the polenta, and tangy from the goat cheese.

I cannot eat this dish any more, because it has flour in it. I decided to try to recreate it at home, so that I don't have to miss out yet another one of my favorite things.

I used white mushrooms, since the grocery store was sold out of portobello, but I would suggest using portobello if you can get them. The Greek yogurt caused the sauce to separate, but I wanted to save some calories by not using heavy cream. It still tasted great, it just didn't look as pretty.

It turned out to be really close to the dish I was trying to recreate, which makes me very happy!

1 pack of polenta cut into 1 inch slices
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pack sliced portobello mushrooms
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 pack goat cheese, cut into crumbles
salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan, melt butter, and add mushrooms, stirring occasionally until tender. add onions and garlic, again cooking until tender. reduce heat to low, and add broth, Greek yogurt, salt, and pepper, stirring occasionally, until hot.

Meanwhile, heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. add polenta slices, and lightly fry, flipping, until both sides are golden.

remove from pan, blot off oil, and spoon on mushroom sauce, and top with goat cheese crumbles.