Polenta With Garlicky Greens-

Sharon123's Note:

This makes a nutritious and delicious vegetarian meal of soft cornmeal with a tasty topping of sautéed Swiss chard, raisins, and pine nuts. This came from the Good Housekeeping magazine, 1999. Directions are given for cooking the polenta in the microwave or for stove top. Enjoy!

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 bunches swiss chard (about 3 1/2 pounds) or 2 bunches bok choy
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup golden raisin
• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 2 cups milk (skim will make this more nutritious)
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese or 2 tablespoons romano cheese, plus additional for serving
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted and chopped (pignoli)

Directions:

1. Cut off and discard bottom 3 inches of Swiss-chard stems.
2. Cut remaining stems into 1/2-inch slices; coarsely chop leaves.
3. Rinse and dry stems and leaves separately; place in separate bowls.
4. In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper over medium heat about 2 minutes or until garlic is lightly golden, stirring constantly.
5. Increase heat to medium-high; add sliced chard stems to skillet and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Gradually add chard leaves and 1/2 teaspoons.
7. salt, stirring until leaves wilt; stir in 1/3 cup water.
8. Cover skillet and simmer 5 minutes or until stems and leaves are tender; stir in raisins and set aside.
9. Meanwhile, prepare polenta in microwave oven: In 4-quart microwave-safe bowl or casserole, combine cornmeal, 3/4 teaspoons salt, milk, and 4 1/2 ups water.
10. Cover and cook on High 12 to 15 minutes, until thickened, stirring once.
11. To serve, stir Parmesan into polenta.
12. Spoon polenta on a platter; top with Swiss-chard mixture and sprinkle with pine nuts.
13. Serve with additional Parmesan to sprinkle over each serving if you like.
14. Makes 4 main dish servings.
15. Note: If you like, polenta can be prepared on top of stove: In 4-quart saucepan, stir 1 teaspoons salt with 2 cups cold milk.
16. Gradually whisk in cornmeal until blended,then whisk in 4 1/2 cups boiling water.
17. Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally.
18. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Reviews

[Melanie9317]

We loved this recipe! I made it with the bok choy because we had a lot of it from our CSA. I doubled the garlic because we love it (but I will most likely bring it down to what the recipe called for next time). I also didn't have any raisins or pine nuts on hand, but added some chopped tomatoes instead and it was delcious! Oh and I also had the tube polenta on hand, so I pan-fried the slices instead of making my own. Thank you for sharing!

[purplepig]

This recipe was very yummy and different, with a few tweaks. The recipe calls for 1 and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and that is waaaay too much! I added 1/4 tsp to the greens and that was plenty salty. I added some pepper, and I used 3x as much garlic as it asks for, for that amount of food. I also added onions and mushrooms. I didn't separate the chard stems from the leaves. After cutting 3" off the ends there was so little stem left it wasn't worth the effort. I just cut off the ends and tossed them, then used the leaves. There were plenty of leaves as it was, and they cooked just fine. I used regular raisins. I also used bought polenta, a full tube. It was a little less than if you make the amount in the recipe, but the proportion of polenta to greens was perfect. I cut it up, fried it and mashed it in the pan, then stirred in the cheese. It made just enough food for 2 adults for dinner. The end result was perfect! Great recipe idea.

[Jaudon]

This recipe is incredible, even for non-vegetarians! My steak-loving hubby even gave it 5 stars. I made it as directed, but used 1 bunch of kale, 1 bunch of bok choi (what was ready to eat in the garden) and regular raisins. The combination of flavors is excellent, and the texture difference between the chewy greens and soft polenta was great. This recipe is definitely a keeper - thanks!