Eat for Eight Bucks: Polenta with Broccoli Rabe
[Photograph: Robin Bellinger]
Shopping List
2 cups polenta (about 12 ounces): $1.20
1 bunch broccoli rabe: $2.99
Pantry items: Butter, salt, olive oil, garlic, crushed chile flakes
Total cost (for 4 portions): $4.19
I only started making polenta last winter, when I discovered Madhur Jaffrey's convenient method of cooking it in the oven: no prolonged stirring, no forearms burned by eruptions of scalding cornmeal. Even though it's inexpensive and quite good for you, fresh-cooked polenta tastes rich and special: The first time I served it to Andrew, he asked how much butter and cheese it contained, suspicious that I was trying to give him an instant heart attack. In fact, I had stirred in only two tablespoons of butter and no cheese at all.
The broccoli rabe, on the other hand, is doused in olive oil, but I think it's worth it. The sharp and peppery flavors of the greens and oil contrast beautifully with the creamy polenta. Since four servings of this luxurious dish don't quite hit the $8 mark, I'd use the difference to buy a piece of cheese to eat afterward or alongside.
Polenta Cooked in the Oven
- serves 4 generously -
Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian.
Ingredients
2 cups polenta (coarse-grained Italian yellow cornmeal; I use the Bob's Red Mill brand)
Dab of unsalted butter or olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
Procedure
1. Put the cornmeal into a bowl. Slowly add 3 cups of water, stirring with a wooden spoon as you do so.
2. Preheat the oven to 400. Butter or oil an 8x8x4 inch or similar-sized baking dish. (I don't have anything that size, but a 9x13 Pyrex dish seems to work fine.)
3. Put 4 1/2 cups water into a large pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add the salt. Stir the cornmeal mixture again and then slowly pour it into the boiling water, stirring with a wooden spoon as you do so. Bring to a boil, stirring all the time. The mixture will thicken very quickly into a homogeneous paste. Quickly pour this paste into the baking dish, smooth over the top with the back of your wooden spoon, cover, and bake for 50 minutes.
4. Serve as is (perhaps stirring in a small slice of butter or some grated cheese) or cool, cover, and refrigerate. Polenta that has cooled will firm up and may be toasted or fried.
Broccoli Rabe with Garlic
- serves 4 -
Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian.
Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds broccoli rabe
Salt
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed chile flakes
Procedure
1. Cut the coarse stems off the broccoli rabe and wash it well. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Put 2 teaspoons salt into the water and then add the broccoli rabe. Cover, bring to a boil again, and boil rapidly for 2 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and rinse immediately under cold running water. Drain and set aside until just before eating.
2. Put the oil and garlic into a large frying pan and set over medium heat. When the oil begins to sizzle and the garlic turns a light golden color, put in the broccoli rabe. Sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and the chile flakes and stir gently to mix. Turn the heat to low and turn the greens gently until heated through.
About the author: Robin Bellinger is a freelance editor and shameless cookie addict. She lives in San Francisco and blogs about what she feeds her husband and her daughter at home*economics.
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9 Comments:
sounds simple and delicious!
just out of curiosity, where do you buy your ingredients/groceries for the eat for eight bucks series?
soopi25 at 4:03PM on 09/29/09
seriously, broccoli rabe is never cheaper than 4.50/lbs here in new york city. unless you have a secret!
toddself at 5:06PM on 09/29/09
Hi...I live in San Francisco and buy groceries at a variety of places: farmers' markets, Whole Foods, my little local markets, the neighborhood cheese shop. I buy most of my groceries at a "natural foods" grocery with a really great selection of bulk goods. This broccoli rabe came from the market around the corner, which actually tends to be more expensive than the bigger grocery stores. It wasn't organic.
Robin Bellinger at 5:20PM on 09/29/09
Out of curiosity did you toast or fry the polenta when you made it for this recipe? and do you have any tips on how to do it? The only time I tried it fell apart!
ec_washington at 5:34PM on 09/29/09
The polenta in the picture is leftover and fried (that's why it's such a clear-cut shape), but I actually prefer it right out of the oven, when it's more like mush.
I fried it after it had cooled completely and spent a night in the refrigerator. At that point it's an easily sliceable solid, so there was no danger of it falling apart. I just heated a generous amount of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high flame until quite hot, and then I added slices of polenta and fried until lightly browned on both sides--about 2 minutes per side.
When you tried to fry polenta, was it freshly cooked? Because I can see how that would be much harder!
Robin Bellinger at 1:58PM on 09/30/09
Occasionally you can find broccoli rabe on sale for $1.99/lb in the NJ/NYC area, if you're lucky.
Thanks for sharing the polenta shortcut, I can't wait to try it.
TommySalami at 3:56PM on 09/30/09
This does, indeed, sound good, but the toasted polenta is nothing more than what my mother called fried cornmeal mush when I was a child (many decades ago) and can still be had under that name at any Bob Evans restaurant (Ohio-based chain). It's terrific with fried eggs. Of course, you can call it polenta if you want, and if you run a restaurant on either coast, you can charge plenty for it.
purchawk at 5:03PM on 09/30/09
I don't see how this is a shortcut at all. Nothing is easier than making polenta. I make it like couscous. I boil water (for 1 cup of polenta I use about 1.5 -2 cups of water). When the water is boiling, turn it off and stir in the polenta. I add salt and spices, perhaps some sauteed mushrooms. Put the lid back on and within minutes it is done. Then--if you don't want the mushy look--you can pour it into an oiled baking dish, flatten it out with a spatula. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes. Then you can cut it into squares or triangles and sautee it in a pan. I guess you could skip the cooling process and just stick it into the oven...
Anja at 6:44PM on 09/30/09
I love making skillet pastas like this one. Mac and Cheese in all forms is such a great go to. I've found that you can just make the white sauce, freeze it, and use it at any occasion. I usually just throw together this Skillet White Pasta with Veggies if I'm too lazy to make a beautiful topping like you did above. Looks great!
BigGirlPhoebz at 12:15PM on 10/02/09