Rick's request for dinner last night was simple: 'no meat, please!' I had stocked our fridge earlier in the week with a pork shoulder roast, meatballs, and roast chicken, so we needed a little break from all that. I had lots of colorful veggies on hand, and wanted to experiment with a surprising combination that would be healthy and delicious. So I broke out the red wine - a great Merlot on sale at Whole Foods called 'The Velvet Devil' - and started scheming!The magical triumvirate is spinach, purple potatoes, and sun-dried tomatoes. Beyond that, you could substitute any number of veggies for the cauliflower (which I added): carrots, parsnips, or broccoli rabe would be interesting. The rosemary, garlic and feta bind the flavors together and make an appropriate topping for the polenta.
Purple Potatoes, Spinach and Sun-dried Tomatoes over Polenta
serves 2
1 lb purple peruvian potatoes, halved lengthwise
1 head spinach, washed, stems discarded
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, steeped in hot water for 10 minutes to soften
3 large florets cauliflower, cut into 1" pieces
1 clove garlic, minced (divided)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 sprig rosemary
3 tbsp olive oil (divided)
1/2 c. polenta
2 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. feta cheese (divided)
1. In a wide saucepan, boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water for 12 minutes. Add the cauliflower and boil for another 3 minutes or so, and drain.
2. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 of the garlic to the saucepan and cook on high heat for about 30 seconds. Add spinach and season with salt. Saute over high heat, and the spinach will start to release water. Once it is wilted and cooked, drain in a colander.
3. In another saucepan, heat the polenta with the stock and bring to a boil. Stir almost constantly for 10 minutes while you finish the veggies.
4. Add the remaining olive oil & garlic to the pan with the rosemary and red pepper flakes and heat for 30 seconds. Then add back in the potatoes, cauliflower, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Stir fry for 8 minutes or until slightly browned.
5. Chop the spinach on a cutting board and return to the pan with the veggies. Taste for seasoning.
6. Final step: swirl 1/2 the feta cheese into the polenta and season with salt & pepper. Spoon the polenta onto plates, top with the veggies, and dress with the remaining half of feta cheese.
Enjoy!
This looks delicious! I popped over from design*sponge because I saw your *gorgeous* sewing table makeover! I skimmed through the comments to see where you got the veneer, since I've been hoping to do this to an old entertainment center we've had for a while -- and then I saw you've still got some! I've got to take some measurements when I get home, but if it's still available let me know how much you'd like for it! Incidentally, I'm in Austin too, so we wouldn't have to worry about shipping!
Thanks, and keep up the great work!
Hi! I'd love for you to have the zebrawood for your own project. I'll contact you through your blog and we'll work out the details.