The ingredient
Edible chicory leaves for cooking into polenta, weighed after trimming.
Leaf chicory has green blades and paler ribs. Cultivated leaf chicories, including Catalogna, are a practical choice for cooking in polenta.
- Material
- Leaf chicory
- Form
- Raw edible leaves, cleaned
- Recipe amount
- 375 g cleaned leaves for four portions of polenta macafana
In the kitchen
Remove damaged leaves and any hard basal section, separate the leaves and wash away soil. Drain, then weigh the usable leaves. Cut them into short strips so they distribute through the polenta instead of winding around the spoon.
Context
In polenta macafana from the Valle del Chiese, chicory cooks in the water before the maize flour is added. The greens remain part of the finished polenta.
At the table
Use 375 g of cleaned chicory in the four-portion macafana. Add the strips to the boiling cooking water before stirring in the maize flour; do not replace this weight with cooked, squeezed greens.
Cook with it
Choosing it
Choose edible chicory leaves suitable for cooking, with green blades and firm ribs. A cultivated Catalogna head is one option. Avoid leaves that are slimy or badly wilted.
Keeping it
Keep the leaves chilled and follow the supplier’s storage guidance. Wash and trim before weighing for the recipe.
Questions worth asking
Must the chicory be wild?
Cultivated leaf chicory is a practical choice. Select edible leaves suitable for cooking, then wash, trim and weigh them before adding them to the polenta.
Is 375 g the weight of an untrimmed head?
No. Weigh the usable leaves after removing unwanted parts and draining them.
