Polenta With Broccoli Rabe Recipes

MILLET POLENTA WITH MUSHROOMS AND BROCCOLI OR BROCCOLI RAAB

Steps:

• Place the dried mushrooms in a pyrex measuring cup or a bowl and pour on 1 cup boiling water. Let soak 20 minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients. Place a strainer over a bowl, line it with cheesecloth or paper towels, and drain the dried mushrooms. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer then rinse, away from the bowl with the soaking liquid, until they are free of sand. Squeeze dry over the strainer and set aside. If very large, chop coarsely. Set aside the broth.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the dried mushrooms are soaking, start the millet polenta. Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the millet. Toast, stirring or shaking the pan, until the grains begin to pop and smell sort of like popcorn. Add the water or stock and salt (up to 1 teaspoon, to taste). Transfer the pan to the hot oven. After 25 minutes, give the millet a stir and then bake for another 20 to 25 minutes. There should still be some liquid in the pan. Stir in the butter and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the millet is thick and no more water or stock is visible in the pan.
• While the millet is in the oven cook the mushrooms. Heat a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. When the oil is hot (you can feel the heat when you hold your hand above the pan), add the shiitakes and the fresh mushrooms. Don't stir for 30 seconds to a minute, then cook, stirring or tossing in the pan, for a few minutes, until they begin to soften and sweat. Add the remaining oil, turn the heat to medium, and add the shallots, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Stir together, add salt to taste and freshly ground pepper to taste, and cook, stirring often, for another couple of minutes, until the shallots and garlic have softened and the mixture is fragrant. Add the chopped dried mushrooms, the soy sauce and wine and cook, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the wine has evaporated. Add the broth from the dried mushrooms, turn up the heat and cook, stirring, until it has reduced by about a third. The mushrooms should be moist. Stir in the parsley, taste, adjust seasonings, and remove from the heat.
• When the polenta is done, remove it from the oven and if desired, stir in the Parmesan. Spoon onto plates or wide bowls, make a depression in the middle with the back of your spoon and top with the mushrooms. Arrange steamed broccoli or broccoli rabe next to the mushrooms or on top, and serve.

ITALIAN SAUSAGES WITH BROCCOLI RABE AND POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add sausages. Cover skillet and cook until sausages are brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer sausages to plate; tent with foil to keep warm. Add garlic to drippings in same skillet and stir 30 seconds. Add broccoli rabe and 1/2 cup broth. Cover skillet and cook until broccoli rabe is crisp-tender, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add polenta; mash with potato masher until smooth. Mix in remaining 1/2 cup broth and cheese. Simmer until polenta is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season polenta with salt and pepper.
• Spoon polenta onto 2 plates. Top with sausages and broccoli rabe.

POLENTA WITH BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Cut off and discard tough stems from rabe. Wash thoroughly and drain on paper towels. Cut into one-inch pieces.
• Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Saute the garlic for 30 seconds. Stir in rabe and coat with oil. Cook over medium heat until it begins to soften.
• Stir in raisins, pine nuts and red pepper. Cover and cook 5 to 7 minutes.
• Meanwhile bring water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Slowly stir in polenta and stir constantly for several minutes, until mixture begins to thicken. Do not let mixture become so thick that it cannot be stirred.
• Stir in the cheese and salt. Stir in rabe and spoon into a shallow baking dish. Place under broiler for about 2 minutes, just until the top begins to brown. Watch carefully.

SOFT POLENTA WITH PANCETTA AND BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Make the polenta and keep it warm. Unwind the pancetta into a long strip and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide pieces. Heat together the pancetta and the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook slowly until well-browned and crisp. Tilt the pan to collect the fat in a little pool against the side and scrape the pancetta into the fat. Cook for another minute to make sure the pancetta is very crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Set the pancetta aside.
• There should be about 2 tablespoons fat remaining in the pan. If not, add a little olive oil. Turn the heat to medium-high and heat until hot. Add the garlic and saute briefly until light brown. Add the thyme, stir, add the stock, and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by about half. Add the broccoli rabe, season with salt and pepper, toss well, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Pour the polenta into a warm serving dish or bowl and pour the vegetables over it. Sprinkle with the reserved pancetta.
• Combine the stock and cream in a heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the polenta and semolina, and cook over very low heat, whisking regularly, until the grains are soft, about 8 minutes. Whisk in the cheeses. Serve immediately or reserve. To encourage polenta to come cleanly out of the pan, put the pan over medium heat. Run a spatula or wooden spoon around the sides of the pan to clean off the polenta. Do not stir, but wait and watch for a few seconds until a large bubble begins to form and push the polenta upward. Pour immediately into a warm dish. The polenta can be made ahead and reheated: add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water or stock, cover the dish, and reheat in the microwave or over low heat. Whisk well before serving.

SAUTEED POLENTA WITH SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• On a lightly oiled baking sheet spread warm polenta about 3/4 thick and cool to room temperature. Polenta may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• In a large non-stick skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown sausage. Add water and cook sausage, covered, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook mixture until any remaining water is evaporated. Transfer sausage with tongs to a bowl and reserve fat remaining in skillet. Cool sausage slightly and slice diagonally.
• Cut polenta into 1 1/2-inch diamond shapes or squares. In skillet sauté polenta in 2 batches in reserved fat over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, adding additional oil to skillet if necessary, until golden on both sides. Transfer polenta as cooked with a slotted spoon to bowl with sausage and cover.
• In skillet heat remaining tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté broccoli rabe with salt to taste, stirring, until just wilted. Add garlic paste and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring, until tomato paste is incorporated and sauce is slightly thickened. Add sausage and polenta and cook until heated through.
• Serve polenta sprinkled with Parmesan.
• To make basic polenta:
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.

BREADED AND BUTTERFLIED VEAL CHOP OVER A MUSHROOM POLENTA WITH BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine heavy cream, eggs, and cheese, and whisk until well blended. Place veal chop in mixture and let stand for 30 minutes. In separate bowl place bread crumbs then place veal chop in bread crumbs coating entire veal chop. In a non-stick pan, add olive oil and heat on medium. When the oil is hot, place the veal chop in the pan and brown on both sides. Place browned veal chop in the oven for 15 minutes for medium doneness.
• To Plate:
• Place soft polenta on center of plate, then Broccoli Rabe off center and then veal chop -- drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil.
• Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute, then place in a cool water bath. In a hot saute pan add extra virgin olive oil, crushed red pepper, and garlic. Saute until garlic is golden brown, about 1 minute. Then add blanched broccoli rabe, salt, and pepper and cook until the broccoli is tender, but still crunchy.
• Combine the chicken broth and cream in a heavy saucepan and bring to simmer. Add salt and pepper. Whisk in the polenta very slowly over low heat for about 10 minutes. Whisk in cheese, then fold in mushrooms -- if not serving immediately, reheat by adding water and bringing back to a simmer.

SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI RABE WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the broccoli rabe until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain.
• Rinse under cold water and drain again. Cut into 2 inch lengths.
• In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning, until browned, about 10 minutes.
• Remove. When cool enough to handle, cut into slices.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Reduce the heat to moderately low.
• Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the wine; bring to a simmer.
• Add the sausage, tomatoes, broth, thyme, and 1 ¼ teaspoons of the salt. Bring to a simmer.
• Cook, uncovered for 15 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe, parsley, and pepper to the sauce. Bring to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the water and the remaining 1 ¼ teaspoons salt to a boil. Add the cornmeal in a slow stream, whisking.
• Whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until very thick. Serve with the sauce.