Christmasy Poached Eggs Over Grilled Polenta
- For the Polenta
- 6 cups boiling water
- 1 1/2 cups medium or coarse polenta
- 6 ounces pancetta
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- Sea or kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 2 ounces butter
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- For the Poached Eggs
- The chilled, firm polenta, cut into squares
- Olive oil
- 32 ounces tomato juice
- Healthy dose of red pepper flakes
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Sea or kosher salt and pepper
- 8 ounces goat cheese, sliced or crumbled
- A good handful of Italian parsley, chopped, for garnish
- Make your polenta the day before you plan to serve this. First preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Chop the pancetta into 1/4" cubes. Scatter on the baking sheet. Bake in oven until nicely crisp, 10-15 minutes.
- While the pancetta is cooking, bring water to a boil. Add the polenta in a steady stream while whisking. Reduce heat to medium and continue whisking until the polenta thickens and forms a boil that you can't stir down, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and rosemary. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta into the polenta. Stir in, then taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Brush the inside of a square casserole (8"x8" or 9"x9") with the melted butter. Pour in the polenta and smooth it out to all the corners. Let cool at room temperature with a piece of plastic in contact with the surface so that a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate overnight.
- The next morning, remove the polenta from the fridge and cut it into squares of equal size. Begin warming a griddle or a skillet over medium heat. Film the bottom with olive oil. When it is hot, carefully lift out squares of polenta and place them on the griddle. Let the down side cook until nicely browned, then gently turn over and repeat until that side is browned.
- While the polenta is browning, heat the tomato juice with the red pepper flakes, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper until it reaches a good simmer. It should not be boiling rapidly. When the polenta is almost done, begin poaching the eggs by cracking each into a half-cup dry measuring cup, then easing it into the simmering tomato juice. You may need to raise the heat a bit to maintain the simmer.
- As the squares of polenta come off the griddle and onto plates, top each with some of the goat cheese, then use a large spoon to lift an egg onto the top of the polenta and goat cheese. Be sure to ladle over some of the wonderful poaching liquid. If you have some goat cheese left over, top the eggs with some crumbles. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately. Happy holidays!
polenta, boiling water, polenta, pancetta, fresh rosemary, salt, butter, butter, eggs, polenta, olive oil, tomato juice, dose of red pepper, lemon, salt, goat cheese, handful of italian parsley
Taken from food52.com/recipes/15166-christmasy-poached-eggs-over-grilled-polenta (may not work)