Spinach Polenta

In the past few months, I've really come to love polenta. I haven't attempted it in its baked or fried forms yet but those recipes are in the works. During my most recent meeting with polenta, I decided to get a little crazy (sarcasm) and add some fresh spinach...and some grated Pecorino-Romano cheese - what?? Remember my Cheese Is Love post?? The result was outstanding! How is that just a simple couple of additions can make such a difference? I paired this treat with the most outstanding pork chop recipe I've had in years. You can see my change in green below.

Spinach Polenta

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

• 6 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups fresh raw spinach (washed)
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

1. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and black pepper. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. (It only took about 5 minutes to thicken but I cooked it for an additional 5-8 minutes to make sure the cornmeal was cooked through.) Turn off the heat. Add the butter, spinach, and cheese, and stir until melted.

No longer a polenta virgin!

After years of wondering what polenta tastes like and being too much of a chicken to attempt making it myself for fear of it ending up like cold oatmeal and ruining our dinner, I took the plunge last night. As I was perusing through my new cookbook, Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, looking for something to accompany my parmesan-crusted pork chops (Giada De Laurentiis), I stumbled upon a basic polenta recipe. I had heard that you can make polenta either with polenta (duh) or cornmeal and this recipe accomodated the lack of polenta in my pantry. Cornmeal it was! OK, so true polenta aficionatos might say that I didn't make polenta, but throw me a bone here!

The outcome of the whole meal was fantastic! The pork chops were just as everyone on my cooking board has raved about - tender...flavorful...delicious. The polenta surpassed my expectations and I think I really surprised Kyle as well - he just about licked the plate clean! I can't wait to find out what REAL polenta tastes like!!




Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
• 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
• 4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• Lemon wedges, for serving
  

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Note: Even over medium heat, the chops browned quickly, leaving the centers uncooked. I finished them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees in the same pan I used for the stove-top cooking, which was oven-safe of course.

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20-25 minutes Serves 4

Soft Polenta

source: Martha Stewart, Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

• 3/4 cup cornmeal or polenta (not quick-cooking)
• 4 cups water (I used 2 cups water, 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (I used Kosher)
• 1/8 freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp butter

In a large saucepan over high heat, bring 4 cups water with 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to a boil. Very gradually, add cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking constantly until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low (low was hot enough); simmer, whisking often, until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter and cheese until smooth.

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 10-12 minutes Serves: 4