Ingredients
2 cups almonds, soaked
1 quart water
1⁄2 tbsp citric acid
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
1 bulb fennel, core removed, halved, then quartered
1 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 tsp salt
2 sprigs thyme
1 cup polenta
5 cups water
1 1⁄2 tsp salt
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1⁄2 cup olive oil
Kosher salt, for blanching
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed
3 cloves garlic, roasted
1⁄2 tsp sea salt
1⁄4 cup olive oil
1 bunch spigarello
1 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 pint cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp sugar
1⁄4 cup spicy greens (preferably mustard greens)
Edible flowers (garnish)
Method
Blend the almonds and water in a high-speed blender until smooth. Strain the mixture to separate the almond milk from the pulp. Discard the pulp.
Pour the almond milk into a large pot and bring up to 90C.
Whisk in the citric acid, lemon zest, and salt.
Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour into a strainer lined with cheesecloth, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate, allowing the ricotta to drain for a few hours before transferring to a sealed container. Discard the liquid.
Preheat the oven to 176C. Toss fennel with oil, salt, and thyme. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, after the first side is caramelised.
Preheat the oven to 176C. Spread the polenta on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Bring the water, salt, and nutritional yeast to a boil, and stream in toasted polenta, whisking vigorously to avoid clumping. Reduce heat to low and simmer until polenta is soft and creamy, about 45 minutes. Stir frequently and add additional boiling water if polenta gets too thick. Stir in the olive oil at the end.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add enough kosher salt so the water tastes salty, like the ocean. Blanch de-stemmed kale for about 3 minutes, or until kale is tender and tears easily. Shock blanched kale in ice water and squeeze out any remaining water. Roughly chop. Reserve blanching water for blanching the spigarello.
Place kale, garlic, and sea salt in a blender and purée until smooth, stirring occasionally. A few tablespoons of water may be needed to loosen the mixture. Slowly drizzle in olive oil to finish.
Cut thick bottoms off the spigarello. Blanch in the same water you used for the kale for 1 to 2 minutes, or until stems are soft. Shock in ice water and drain. When ready to serve, heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the spigarello until heated all the way through.
Heat a sauté pan over high heat. Toss tomatoes in olive oil, salt, and sugar. Add tomatoes to hot pan and stir frequently until the tomato skins begin to blister.
Mix half cup of creamy polenta with 2 tablespoons of kale pesto. Place on the bottom, right half of a bowl and, using the back of a spoon, swirl the polenta into a “vortex.” Place the tomatoes, spigarello, and fennel at the bottom of the bowl with dollops of almond ricotta and spicy greens, preferably mustard greens. Garnish with flowers. Ready to serve.
