Sourdough is always handy. One or two slices can be breakfast or lunch, a snack or a dinner component. This post features sourdough toast with “wild mushrooms” (Chanterelles), followed by a polenta dish that evening.

The polenta was made into crostini, from leftovers the night before. Cut into bite-sized pieces, it was flavored with Pecorino, tapenade, and herbs, drizzled with olive oil, and crisped under the broiler. Paired with a California red wine, Scylla, from Birichino, it was a delicious appetizer — with flavors as explosive as the bouquet of flowers given to us from a friend’s garden.