Keep It Simple

We live in a world where the zanier and more complex something is, the better. I just finished making a soup that required two pans, a soup pot, and an immersion blender. It tastes fantastic. It required a lot of time, skill, and energy, so I'm proud of the accomplishment. It also left me with a big frickin' pile of dishes to clean. I don't know about you, but sometimes I forget that "simple" can be quite enjoyable; at times, simplicity is actually what we're looking for to satisfy a craving, desire, or need. 

This past Thursday I arrived home exhausted from a late evening of work, but excited to cook myself a delicious dinner. While deciding what to make I came across this recipe in the Moosewood Restaurant Cooking For Health cookbook: Polenta with Greens and Eggs. I was intrigued, and astonished, by how few ingredients are involved (basically three) and how effortless the dish seems. Then I became skeptical if the dish would even taste good...if it's not a challenge, how could it be great, right? However, I had all the ingredients, and the recipe called for greens of any kind - the perfect chance to use the remainder of the broccoli rabe I had from Saturday's fish dinner. So despite my apprehension, I decided to try the recipe out. Boy am I glad I did. 


Even though the original recipe is for four, I easily adjusted it for one: 
Three main ingredients: polenta (aka yellow cornmeal), greens (you choose...swiss chard, kale, spinach, broccoli rabe), eggs (1-2...your choice).
Pantry item ingredients you'll need: 1-2 garlic cloves (minced), olive oil, red pepper flakes, balsamic vinegar.


First, make the polenta: cook one serving (3 tablespoons) according to the package. Once cooked, turn the burner off & keep polenta warm by keeping the top on the sauce pan. 

Second, make the greens (make sure you chop the stems and leaves of your greens separately): sauté minced garlic cloves, a little bit of olive oil, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and the stems from your greens for a few minutes. 

Then, add the leaves of your greens and cook until leaves are just wilted and still a nice, bright color. Turn off burner, add a dash (like, 1/2 tablespoon) of balsamic vinegar, then transfer greens to a bowl.

Third, make the eggs: in the same pan, drizzle a tiny bit more olive oil. Crack each egg carefully (make sure the yolk doesn't break!), add about 1 teaspoon of water on top of the eggs, cover the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes (until egg whites are completely set, but yolks have not hardened).

*Side note: I have never made eggs this pretty before and turns out it is SO easy to do!


Fourth, put it all together: polenta on the bottom, greens on top, eggs over greens.

I added a bit of grated parmesan cheese and cracked pepper, which is not in the original recipe.

Delicious, nutritious, easy, and quick. Don't underestimate the value of recipe that only uses a few ingredients, with hardly any prep work, and very little cook time. In addition to being the perfect meal for a hectic workday, this dish is a great slap in the face when you need a reminder that not all satisfying parts of life need to stem from conquering a challenge. Sometimes simplicity is just what we need. Keep it simple - you won't be disappointed.