Almenta with Cooked Endive Salad

I've just been getting over a bout of the cold, so I figured I'd celebrate by getting back into cooking and putting the more successful dishes up on here, since it's been a while anyways. Today, I'm making an endive and greens salad with almenta (c). Yup, I just copyrighted that. It's polenta made with almond meal instead of cornmeal. I have no idea how it's going to turn out, but I figure its worth the experimentation. The original recipe is from the Anheuser-Busch cookbook, "Great Food, Great Beer." The latter part of that title is questionable, but the food is quite delicious.

Almenta and Endives (serves 2-3)

3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly-sliced
3-4 endives, chopped
2 c spinach
1/3 c dried cranberries
1/4 tsp salt
1 c almond meal
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 c vegetable broth
1 c milk
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated/shredded
4 tsp pine nuts

For the almenta, start by lightly toasting your pine nuts. You'll know they're ready by the smell. Next, heat the olive oil. Add the thinly-sliced garlic, then the endive, then the spinach. Give a minute or two after adding each ingredient for the oil to draw out the flavors. Stir in the salt and the dried cranberries, then cover and simmer on low heat for about five minutes before removing from heat.

In a small saucepan, combine the almond meal and red pepper flakes over medium-high heat. Next, add the vegetable stock and milk, keeping the mixture from clumping with a whisk. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for ten minutes. It is important to note that, though a watched pot may not boil, an unwatched pot always boils over. Be vigilant. After the mix boils down to a thicker consistency, stir in the cheese. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, fill about halfway with the almenta, then spoon in as much of the endives mix as you desire. Top with pine nuts and enjoy!