It's getting cold out there. So let's make it warm inside. Creamy polenta is a great way to warm yourself up, as are earthy mushroom in a red wine and cream sauce.

Polenta can be served many ways - and I'll be exploring some of those ways in the next few weeks - but serving it as a creamy porridgey goop is one of the most warming ways. I swiped the idea of adding cream cheese from Elise over at Simple Recipes, though I cut back on it a little since the rest of the meal is heavy.

You can make basic polenta with just corn meal and water, but adding some fat does for it what adding a little butter does for oatmeal - makes it less of a chore to eat, and more of a true pleasure.

In the picture above, the mushrooms and polenta are served with a quick sautee of garlickly spinach and zucchini. Add a little lemon to the green veggies to help cut the wonderful warmth and weight of the polenta/mushroom combination.

Creamy Polenta
1 cup corn meal
4 cups boiling water
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 teaspoon dried sage
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepot, boil four cups of water. Add the salt. Once the water is boiling, using a whisk, slowly stir in the cornmeal. Don't dump the cornmeal in all at once or you'll end up with lumps you won't be able to whisk out.

Once all the corn meal is incorporated, witch to a wooden spoon and continue to stir. Stir in the butter. Cook over medium-low heat for at least fifteen minutes, stirring frequently.

Next, stir in the cream cheese. The cheese should melt into the mix. Mix in the sage.

Taste (carefully, this is sticky hot goop) and adjust salt and pepper to taste. If you don't like the look of black pepper flakes, use white pepper instead.

Musroom Ragout
4 cups sliced portobella mushrooms
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

If you buy whole large mushroom caps (it'll take about six for this recipe), cut them into quarters before slicing about 1/3" thick.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in the mushrooms, oregano, and a pinch of salt to help draw out the moisture.

Toss the mushrooms frequently to coat with the melted butter. Slowly more moisture will come out of the mushrooms. If they start to burn, reduce the heat and toss more frequently.

After the musrooms start to become tender, add the cream and wine and stir into the mushrooms. Reduce heat and cook over medium-low heat for ten minutes to reduce the liquids and get a nice rich creamy sauce.

Plate a circle of polenta in the middle of a plate, spooning the mushroooms on top.

In the photo the dish is shown with a quick side sautee of spinach and zucchini with garlic.