Читать книгу Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me: A chef’s stories and recipes from the land - Denis Cotter - Страница 29

I use smoked Gubbeen, a semi-hard cheese, to flavour the polenta because it is so delicately smoked. If using a stronger cheese, you may want to reduce the quantity.

For the polenta, bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan, then whisk in the maize and a large pinch of salt. Reduce the heat and simmer over a very low heat, stirring often, for 20 minutes until the polenta has a thick consistency, like that of mashed potato. Stir in the cheese, butter and sage. Season with black pepper and some more salt if needed. Serve immediately or keep the polenta warm by placing the saucepan over a slightly larger pan of simmering water.

Remove the stalks from the kale and discard them, then slice the leaves into strips. Quarter the peppers, remove the seeds and pith and slice the flesh about 5mm (1/4in) thick.

Serves 4

500g (18oz) black kale (cavolo nero)

2 sweet red peppers

5 tbsp olive oil

1 mild red chilli, halved,seeded and chopped

2 garlic cloves, sliced

2 tbsp black olives, halved and stoned

200ml (7fl oz) vegetable stock or water,plus an extra splash to serve

FOR THE SMOKED CHEESE POLENTA
1 litre (1 3/4 pints) vegetable stock
200g(7oz) coarse maize
salt and pepper
60g (2 1/4oz) smoked Gubbeenor other lightly smoked cheese, grated
40g(1 1/2oz) butter
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves

Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pan, add the kale and cook over a medium heat until it has shrunk: 2-3 minutes. Add the peppers, chilli, garlic and olives, and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Add the stock or water and a large pinch of salt, cover loosely with baking parchment and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Check occasionally to make sure the dish is moist, adding more water if necessary. Just before serving, add a generous splash of stock and a tablespoon of olive oil.

Spoon the polenta on to serving plates or shallow bowls. Serve the kale and its pan juices over the polenta.