Maybe it was the impossibly, achingly beautiful photos my friend Brian showed me yesterday of warm, sunny days in his sister-in-law’s garden on a veranda with a wood-fired brick oven overlooking the Alps in Northern Italy or the vertical pastel seaside villages of France or crowded fields of sunflowers, faces all turned to the sky or the town farmers’ market splashed with reds, greens, yellows, oranges of a hue that I’ve never quite seen before that inspired me to make polenta the way I might imagine it being cooked in those sunny, open-air kitchens.

I often imagine cooking in a place like that, coffee smell in the air, polenta bubbling, pancetta sizzling, greens in platters, my family readying for breakfast. With that on my mind and a wild craving to be transported to that place, I made this breakfast for two while we watched a gentle snow fall on the plants in the garden which are already bracing under the weight of many days like this..happy for a wind-less day and dreaming of Italy.

My husband (my Buffalo Boy) loves this breakfast with a big juicy hunk of thick-cut bacon which I didn’t use today. Just make some polenta, poach some eggs, saute a little spinach on the side….done!

Instant Polenta

Polenta:

Directions will vary depending on the polenta you purchase. Instant polenta from Italy is just fine, very quick. Make as directed on the package or:

1 1/2 Cups water
3 ounces polenta
Kosher salt
Shaved Parmigiano cheese, approx. 2 ounces

Bring salted water to boil. Add polenta in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Whisk constantly for 3 minutes, remove from heat.
Save cheese for finishing the dish.

Poached Eggs:

Cracking your eggs into individual dishes and using a little white vinegar are the secrets to perfect poached eggs.

4 Eggs
1 TBS white vinegar

Boil water in a shallow pan. Add vinegar. Crack eggs into individual dishes. Pour eggs one-by-one into the boiling. Simmer until desired doneness, approximately 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and drain well.

Spinach

6 ounces fresh spinach
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Saute the spinach in olive oil until just wilted and remove.

Now, put it all together:

Place a large spoonful of polenta on the plate.
Top with curls of Parmigiano
Place eggs on top, spinach on the side and sprinkle with French fleur de sel (or any coarse salt…trust me, fleur de sel is worth having in kitchen!) and a grinding of fresh ground pepper.

Done! One of Buffalo Boy’s favorites!

Tweet This Post