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POLENTA - Ancho Chili Polenta with Wilted Spinach and Marinated Tomato Dressing
Nb persons: 2
Yield:
Preparation time:
Total time:
Source: Ed Kernan/Sur La Table
| Ancho Chili Polenta with Wilted Spinach and Marinated Tomato Dressing DMN Published: 11 March 2014 04:45 PM Updated: 15 March 2014 02:07 AM The goal of the two-step spinach cooking process is for the first half to be intensely flavored and the second half just wilted to add some texture. Vinegar is the secret ingredient for great flavor in this dish. | |
| 1 cup | whole milk |
| 1 dried ancho chile, stemmed and seeded | |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| 1 sprig | fresh thyme |
| Salt | |
| pepper | |
| 1/4 teaspoon | smoked hot paprika, (see Note) |
| 1/3 cup | coarse ground polenta |
| 1/2 cup | shredded sharp cheddar cheese |
| 2 tablespoons | extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 small | shallot, diced |
| 2 cloves | garlic, minced |
| 10 ounces | fresh spinach, thoroughly rinsed (divided use) |
| 1 tablespoon | champagne vinegar |
Marinated Tomato Dressing (recipe follows)
Place milk, ancho chile, bay leaf and thyme in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer; add a pinch of salt and pepper and the paprika to the pot. Turn off heat, cover and allow to stand for 30 minutes. (This is a good time to make the dressing.)
Remove and discard the ancho, bay leaf and thyme from the milk. Return milk to medium heat and stir in polenta. Continue to stir often for about 10 to 15 minutes. It should be thick and creamy. If it thickens too much, add a bit more milk. To finish, stir in the cheese, cook until melted and adjust seasonings. Set aside and keep warm.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, shallots and garlic. Stir frequently, about 1 to 2 minutes, so the shallots soften but don’t brown. Add half the spinach to the pan, along with salt and pepper to taste. Add a little smoked hot paprika, if you like. Use tongs to turn the spinach in the pan so it picks up some of the shallot and garlic.
Increase the heat to high. When the spinach cooks down completely, drizzle in the vinegar. Mix the spinach all around to make sure it’s covered. Now add the remaining spinach, using the tongs to mix it with the seasoned spinach. Cook just till the added spinach wilts a bit. Remove pan from heat.
Spoon the polenta onto a round plate in a circle. Spoon some of the dressing around the outer rim of the polenta. Use tongs to place the spinach in the center. Makes 2 servings.
Note: Instead of paprika, Kernan loves using piment d’espelette, which is available at Sur La Table.
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Marinated Tomato Dressing: Coarsely chop marinated tomatoes from a grocery store olive bar or jarred ones in oil. Mix 1/2 cup tomatoes with 1/4 cup coarsely chopped, pitted kalamata olives, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, 1 small diced shallot and 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar. Adjust to taste with olive oil or additional vinegar.
PER SERVING: Calories 583 (57% from fat), Fat 37 g (12 g sat), Cholesterol 39 mg, Sodium 1,222 mg, Fiber 8 g, Carbohydrates 47 g, Protein 20 g
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