Adventures in Cooking Our CSA Share: Something Old, Something New

We get a lot of kale this time of year and it goes right through almost the whole CSA season. Which is fine by me because I've learned to love kale (and chard and escarole and all the greens like turnip and collard). So, kale is an old friend in my CSA box.

But tonight I cooked it in a new way: polenta pie. And I loved it! And Mama loved it even more than I did. Even though I think I had more kale, and cut in more coarsely, than the recipe called for. And I even used "shaker cheese" in a green can, foodie gods forgive me. I can just see making this recipe with lots of different vegetables--any of the greens, mushrooms and onions, even cooked beans!!!! It's almost like (and forgive the odd connection) a frittata that uses cornmeal instead of eggs, which means the possibilities are endless.

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Kale and Polenta Pie

1/2 lb kale, washed, destemmed, and chopped finely

salt

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup instant polenta

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Bring 3 1/2 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add kale, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon of the oil to the water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 6 minutes.

Reduce heat to low. Slowly stir in polenta with a wooden spoon until smooth, about 1 minutes. Partially cover and cook until the polenta is thick, about 6 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and stir in cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt if necessary. Grease a 9" round cake pan with remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Scrape polenta-kale mixture into cake pan.

Bake until polenta pie is firm and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let pie cool until barely warm, at least 30 minutes and up to several hours (it will firm as it cools). Cut into wedges and serve.

Jack Bishop, Vegetables Every Day