Polenta with White Beans & Black Kale

Name: Polenta with White Beans & Black Kale
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 1/2 pound dried cannellini beans, rinsed and soaked overnight; 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 5 cups cold water; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh; 1 cup yellow polenta, medium grind; 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 8 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch lardoons; 1 1/2 pounds cavolo nero (black kale), tough stems removed, leaves cut in 2-inch shreds; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 8 ounces finely shredded fontina from Valle d’Aosta (or Italian Fontal; see box, page 74); A 3-quart pot for cooking the beans; a heavy-bottomed 3- or 4-quart saucepan with a cover for cooking the polenta; a heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 12-inch diameter or larger, with a cover

December 9, 2011

This terrific dish brings into one bowl three essential Italian foods: polenta, cannellini, and the unique variety of kale called cavolo nero—one of my favorite vegetables. The customary green in Tuscan ribollita, cavolo nero has an earthy mouth-filling flavor, as if cabbage, broccoli, chickory, and spinach were all packed into one leaf. Fortunately, this delicious and healthful vegetable is now being grown and sold in this country under a variety of names, including lacinata, or dinosaur kale (for the texture of the leaves), and black kale (for their dark hue). In this recipe, cavolo nero is braised with bacon and cannellini and served atop hot polenta. But you can just braise it with bacon, following the same basic procedure, and serve it as a delicious side dish, or enjoy it in crusty bread as a great sandwich filling.

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