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June 10, 2007
Garlicky White Beans and Kale over Teff Polenta Wedges
When I was in Florence back in April, one of the most amazing dishes I had was "fettunta": slices of bread brushed with olive oil and grilled, and topped with a mixture of sauteed cavolo nero (Tuscan kale) and white beans.
Since then, I've been itching to recreate that dish. I've also been wanting to have another try at teff prepared-polenta style. When I came across some nice Tuscan kale at the farmers' market yesterday, it occurred to me that the kale and white bean preparation would make a great topping for polenta.
The recipe turned out great. It would be equally good served over corn polenta. But if you want to recreate what I did, start by making your teff ahead of time, because it needs time to chill.
This recipe uses quite a lot of olive oil, because such amounts were called for in all the cookbook recipes for fettunta that I consulted for inspiration. ("Fettunta" apparently means "oily slice".) You could probably cut down some on the oil, although the oil and the starch from the beans emulsify into something that gives the dish a nice creamy texture. Mr. Spaceling described it as being like creamed spinach, only good. (Mr. Spaceling does not like creamed spinach. I fall more in the camp of thinking that anything that combines spinach and fat cannot be bad.)
Teff Polenta
Ingredients
- 1 cup teff
- 1/2 cup finely grated provolone cheese (parmesan would probably be even better)
- 3 cups water
- salt to taste
Steps
- Bring the water to a boil. Add teff and salt.
- Turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the teff reaches the consistency of a thick spreadable porridge.
- Stir in the cheese. (To avoid getting clumps of melted cheese, add it bit by bit and stir thoroughly.)
- Line a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Spread the teff out in the pan and let it cool a bit. Cover with more foil or plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Cut the polenta into wedges or squares. (I got 8 wedges out of a 9 x 9 pan.)
White Beans and Kale
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Tuscan kale
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
Steps
- Wash the kale. Remove the leaves from the stems, and cut the leaves into bite-sized ribbons. Discard the stems.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the kale for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water. (Plunging the kale into a bowl of ice water would probably be the approved method for shocking your greens. Rinsing with cold water worked fine.) Press out the excess water.
- Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medim heat. Add the garlic, and saute for 30 seconds or so. Then add the greens and the beans. Simmer everything gently for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In another skillet, heat a thin film of olive oil over medium high heat. Cook the polenta wedges, in batches, until browned and slightly crispy on each side. Keep the cooked wedges on a plate covered with foil to keep warm.
- Serve a wedge or two of polenta in a shallow bowl, with the bean and kale mixture piled on top.
Serves 4 or so.
Posted by spaceling at June 10, 2007 08:38 PM
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