OK... you know what mushrooms and tomatoes are... but what's polenta? Essentially, polenta is ground corn grits. This grain/bread like staple can be fried, baked, or eaten like risotto when accompanying sauces and the likes. Corn grain is high in carbohydrates, dietary fiber and protein.

This recipe has been adapted from The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia - a cookbook rich in cooking tips and explanations but somewhat short on spectacular dishes. Here is my version of the recipe (serves 8):

Ingredients for sauce:
3 Lbs. Portabella mushrooms
Canola oil mist (severely reduced amount of oil for dehydrating)
2 Small onion - chopped
3 Gloves garlic - chopped
6 Tbsp parsley - chopped
6 Medium/large tomatoes peeled* and diced
1/2 Tsp fresh thyme - chopped
Pepper/salt to taste
Dehydrated chicken - optional*

* Boil H2O in a small pot. Stab tomato with a fork and submerge in boiling water until the skin begins to crack (15 seconds?). Remove and peel under cold water.

* Dehydrated chicken: (1) steam boneless, gristle/fat free chicken breasts for 6 minutes - turning once; (2) pull cooked meat apart with fingers and smush into small, flat pieces; (3) dehydrate at 140 degrees for 4 hours and then at 130 degrees for the remainder of the time - up to 8 hours total; (4) freeze in heavy grade vacuum sealed bag; (5) prepare in the field by soaking dehydrated chicken in boiled water for 25 minutes; and (6) add to sauce just before serving.

Ingredients for Polenta:
3 cups instant Polenta*
3-cups H2O
2 Vegetable bouillon cubes (one less then recommended to reduce saltiness)

* There are a variety of polenta products. Polenta is the same as (or similar to) corn grits and corn meal. Cooking times vary from slow (20 to 30 minutes) to instant (requiring 5 minutes). For my first polenta-experience, I used Bob's Red Mill Polenta; The cooking time was 12 minutes instead of the expected 25. For convenience in the backcountry, I will use Bellino Instant Polenta.

Cookware:
2, 4-qt pots w/ lids
large cooking spoon
(Freezer type vacuum sealing bag to soak/hydrate optional chicken)

Total water needed for cooking in the field:
(3 cups for instant polenta) + (3 cups for optional dehydrated chicken) +
( ___ cups = the difference between wet/dehydrated sauce) = ________

Preparation at home:
Prepare all ingredients. Briefly sauté onion in light canola oil mist; stir in mushrooms until they release their liquid (medium heat). Stir in tomatoes, parsley and garlic and simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat. Add thyme and simmer low for 20 minutes.

Measure and weigh sauce on a scale. Dehydrate for 17-20 hrs. at 140 degrees; drying times will vary depending on the dehydrator. When completely dried, pat away any accumulated oils on the surface. Weigh amount of dehydrated food. The difference between the wet and dried food is the amount of H2O to gradually add when cooking in the field.

Field Preparation:
(1) If hydrating chicken, prepare as noted above;
(2) In one pot boil 2/3 the water required to hydrate the mushroom and tomato sauce. Reduce heat to a low simmer and gradually stir in dehydrated sauce stirring often. Add water to achieve desired thickness. Cooking time: 15+ minutes.
(3) Cook instant polenta as described on the package. Heat water and add 2 vegetable bouillon cubes. Gradually stir in instant polenta. When polenta is stiff and pulls away from the edge of the pot in a thick knot it is ready to serve. Serve polenta in a bowl with sauce on top.