"marco... Polenta!"

Name: "marco... Polenta!"
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6-8 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 (16 ounce) can chickpeas; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 garlic cloves; 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed; 2 tablespoons peanut oil; 12 cardamom pods; 2 medium onions, thinly sliced; 4 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 inches ginger, peeled and chopped; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 4 teaspoons coriander; 2 (16 ounce) packages prepared polenta (prepared, firm)

Submitted by realbirdlady

"Start with the Italian cornmeal classic, polenta, and add the exotic new flavors of Marco Polo's journey to the East: chickpeas from Anatolia, spinach from Persia, cardamon from India and cinnamon from China. But don't worry, this recipe doesn't take years to complete! Prepared polenta and canned chickpeas make it easy (and nutritious)."

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Ready In:: 40mins
Ingredients:: 12
Serves:: 6-8

ingredients

1 (16 ounce) can chickpeas
¹⁄₂ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed
2 tablespoons peanut oil
12 cardamom pods
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 inches ginger, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 teaspoons coriander
2 (16 ounce) packages prepared polenta (prepared, firm)

directions

In a boiler, simmer chickpeas, including liquid, with red pepper flakes and garlic for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain spinach, reserving the liquid.
In a large skillet, heat oil. Add cardamon and cook for about a minute (until the pods pop). Add onions, garlic and ginger and saute until the onions are translucent.
Add spinach, then cinammon and coriander. Reduce heat and simmer gently for about ten minutes, adding reserved spinach liquid as needed to keep the mixture moist.
Meanwhile, slice and grill polenta, using a dry skillet or stovetop grill.
Drain chickpeas and add to the spinach mixture.
Prepare for serving by placing two slices of polenta on each plate. Use a slotted spoon to drain the spinach and chickpea mixture, and top each slice of polenta.
(Preparation notes: If you're limited for time, you can skip the step of. seasoning the chickpeas separately. Prepare the spinach topping with the pepper and garlic, then add the chickpeas toward the end so that they are heated. Polenta can be baked rather than grilled.).
(Ingredient notes: Fresh, firm, polenta can be substituted for prepared.
One cup dried chickpeas can be substituted for canned, by soaking overnight and then cooking until tender. One pound fresh spinach, wash and deveined, can be substituted for frozen. Dried ground cardamon and ginger can be substituted for fresh.).

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Reviews

I love the complex flavor pairings found in this recipe that so fondly remind me of North African fare. I did enjoy the dish but found some of the proportions on the ingredients a little off balance for me. I would suggest reducing the quantity of onions which tended to overwhelm the delicacy of the spinach. My other thought is to remove the cardamom pods just before adding the spinach as they are not always pleasant to bite into. I added a can of diced tomatoes to the leftovers and that worked well changed the character a bit. Thanks realbirdlady for this creative contribution to RSC.

justcallmetoni
Who says low fat can't be tasty? I loved this dish! My husband, who had never tried polenta and doesn't particularly like chickpeas, loved it too and talked about how he'd like to prepare this meal for his family on our next visit. I would definitely make this again.

J and J Balyta

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

realbirdlady

The picanço-barreteiro (woodland shrike) is the Portguese Society for the Study of Birds "bird of the year" for 2009. ======================================= <img src="http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp340/northwestgal/zwtbanner-small-1.jpg"> <img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/Zaar%20World%20Tour%204/ZWTAB-tg.gif">

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