Ingredients
1.4 litres water
Maldon sea salt
220g coarse-grained polenta (bramata, not instant polenta)
Greens
500g bitter greens (curly endive, cime di rapa, kale or spinach)
4-5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
peperoncino (dried chilli), crumbled
Method
For the polenta, bring the water to a steady simmer in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Salt it to taste. 'Rain' the polenta slowly in a very fine stream into the water, using balloon whisk to stir the water in a steady, anti-clockwise direction. Not unlike making porridge, the idea is to make sure the grains are pretty evenly distributed in the water so that, as they start to swell, the polenta is smooth and not lumpy. If you add the polenta all at once, the temperature of the water falls and all the fine grains solidify into a solid lump
Keep stirring. As it takes on a smooth porridge-like consistency, you can stop worrying! Take care. It can scald. Reduce the heat and continue cooking, stirring intermittently until it starts to leave the sides of the saucepan. Don't be afraid to add a little more hot water if it gets too thick.
Wash and trim the greens in plenty of changes of cold water to get rid of any grit. Shred them. If they are very coarse you will need to cook them in boiling salted water for 10 minutes or so. Drain them and squeeze out any excess water. If the leaves are tender, like young curly endive or spinach, you can wash them and cook them straight in the oil.
Warm the extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and peperoncino, 4-5 broken pieces to taste, and warm them through to start to flavour the oil. Add the drained greens and put a lid on. Lower the heat and let the greens soften down. Salt to taste.
When the polenta is cooked, and it should be fairly soft and runny, add this mixture of greens, stirring them and all the flavoured oil into it. This is a very traditional flavour, especially if the greens you use are very bitter. It's an acquired taste, but very delicious.
Reproduced with the kind permission of Mary Contini from Dear Francesca: A Cookbook With Love, Publ: Ebury Press, 20
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