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croste di polenta con cicoria (polenta crust with braised chicory )

starter | serves 6
1 To make the braised chicory, chop the leaves into large chunks. Put the olive oil, chilli, capers and garlic in a saucepan on a low heat and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the leaves, along with 300ml water, and crumble in the chicken stock cube. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat, and cook for 15–20 minutes until the toughest stalks are tender. Check the seasoning and adjust as required . By this time, there should be lots of cooking juices. Turn off the heat and keep warm.
2 Meanwhile, put the quick-cook polenta in a bowl with the olive oil, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well. Add 150ml boiling water to make a dough. Divide into 6 pieces, and pat out to make 6 cakes the size of thick hamburgers. Place a frying pan over a medium heat, add a little olive oil and cook the polenta cakes on one side until a crust has formed. Add a few more drops of oil, turn and repeat on the other side. It should take about 8 minutes per side to get a good crust (longer if you like a thick crust – it can almost be burnt). Serve polenta crusts with the leaves, plus a little of the cooking juices.


Recipe by Antonio Carluccio, Photography by Lisa Linder
• from Jamie Magazine issue 3