Polenta is an excellent foil for most everything, and here we pair it with Moscardini, a which are smaller than regular octopus, and very highly prized in Italy. The recipe calls for white polenta, which is made with white corn meal that is more delicately flavored than yellow corn meal, but you can also use fairly finely ground (not powdery) yellow corn meal. The appearance will change, but the dish will still be good.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound (about 1 2/3 cups, or 250 g) cornmeal, ideally white
- A bay leaf
- 3 cloves garlic
- A little more than a half pound (250 g) broccoli florets
- A little more than a pound (500 g) moscardini (in their absence use small calamari, not large octopus) - they should be of the same size so they will cook equally
- 1 tablespoon salted capers, rinsed
- 20 small pitted black olives, finely chopped
- A hot pepper, shredded
- Dry white wine
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Salt
Preparation:
Bring a quart of water to a boil with the bay leaf and a clove of garlic, peeled but left whole. When it comes to a boil remove the herbs, add a tablespoon of oil, and then the cornmeal in a steady stream, stirring to keep lumps from forming. Lower the flame and cook, stirring, for close to an hour, stirring often to lest the polenta burn. It will be done when it is fairly firm and peels away from the side of the pot. If you have a polenta turner of the sort sold in Italy, use it.
If the moscardini or squid are fresh they will need to be cleaned: Use a small sharp knife to make circular cuts around the beaks and remove them, drawing out the innards as well (if you need more instruction see Peggy's illustrated squid cleaning, and in any case save the ink sacks, which can be used to make, for example, risotto al nero di seppie), and remove the eyes too. Wash the bodies well and drain them.
Peel and chop a clove of garlic and mix it with the pepper flakes. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet, cook the garlic mixture for a few seconds, and add the moscardini, tentacles down (this will cause the tentacles to curl uo), and then the chopped olives and the capers. Sprinkle half a glass of white wine over the skillet, cover, and simmer over a gently flame for 45 minutes, shaking the pan often to keep the fish from sticking.
Steam the broccoli florets for a few minutes, remove them from the steamer, and sauté them in a tablespoon of oil with the final clove of garlic, peeled and chopped, and a little salt, until just tender.
Thoroughly butter a ring mold large enough to contain the polenta and the broccoli. Fill the mold with the polenta and about 3/4 of the broccoli florets, leveling the upper surface of the polenta.
Turn the ring mold out onto a serving platter, tapping the mold so the polenta settles onto the platter, fill the well with the moscardini, decorate with the remaining broccoli florets, and serve. With a fairly robust white wine; Falanghina comes to mind, as does Puglian Fiano Minutolo.
Yield: 6 servings Moscardini with Polenta.
If the moscardini or squid are fresh they will need to be cleaned: Use a small sharp knife to make circular cuts around the beaks and remove them, drawing out the innards as well (if you need more instruction see Peggy's illustrated squid cleaning, and in any case save the ink sacks, which can be used to make, for example, risotto al nero di seppie), and remove the eyes too. Wash the bodies well and drain them.
Peel and chop a clove of garlic and mix it with the pepper flakes. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet, cook the garlic mixture for a few seconds, and add the moscardini, tentacles down (this will cause the tentacles to curl uo), and then the chopped olives and the capers. Sprinkle half a glass of white wine over the skillet, cover, and simmer over a gently flame for 45 minutes, shaking the pan often to keep the fish from sticking.
Steam the broccoli florets for a few minutes, remove them from the steamer, and sauté them in a tablespoon of oil with the final clove of garlic, peeled and chopped, and a little salt, until just tender.
Thoroughly butter a ring mold large enough to contain the polenta and the broccoli. Fill the mold with the polenta and about 3/4 of the broccoli florets, leveling the upper surface of the polenta.
Turn the ring mold out onto a serving platter, tapping the mold so the polenta settles onto the platter, fill the well with the moscardini, decorate with the remaining broccoli florets, and serve. With a fairly robust white wine; Falanghina comes to mind, as does Puglian Fiano Minutolo.
Yield: 6 servings Moscardini with Polenta.
