Kale Polenta Pie

This is a yummy easy way to use your kale in a polenta pie that will last all week in your fridge. Just warm up a slice in the toaster or microwave and enjoy! All the vitamins from boiling the kale get absorbed by the polenta. Makes one 9" pie, serves 6 - 8 as a side dish. Be sure to buy instant or quick cooking polenta (available at Whole Foods).

Ingredients

1/2 pound of kale

Salt

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup instant polenta

1/4 grated Parmesan cheese*

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Bring 3 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Wash the kale in several changes of cold water, stripping off the leafy green portion from either side of the tough central vein. Discard the veins and chop the leafy portions finely (or cut into small strips with kitchen scissors). Add the kale, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tablespoon of the oil to the water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, about 6 minutes.

3. Reduce the heat to low. Slowly stir in the polenta with a wooden spoon until smooth. (This shoud take about 1 minute.) Partially cover and cook until the polenta is thick, about 2 minutes.

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

5. Bake until the polenta pie is firm and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let the pie cool until barely warm, at least 30 minutes and up to several hours. (The polenta will firm up as it cools, so don't rush this process for best results.) Cut into wedges and serve.

*Note: you make increase the cheese up to 1 cup if you prefer. Works well with non-fat cheese, too.

Taken from Jack Bishop's book: Vegetables Every Day. Printed by HarperCollins, 2001.