Susie Stearns coordinates volunteers, greets and seats people, and certainly makes the guest chefs happy with all of her support.

Linda Diane Feldt | Contributor

I was the guest chef for SELMA a week ago. I wrote part one including a recipe for a health-packed oatmeal, and wild applesauce. On to part two, a recipe for layered polenta.

Returning to SELMA breakfast this morning, a neighborhood community fundraiser, I felt more at home and part of the process. I was seated with three men I didn't know, and we had a lively conversation that included rock climbing, autism, bear attacks, training dogs, physics, grinding flour and roasting coffee, and brain functioning. They enjoyed pulled pork tamales, while I had eggs scrambled with spicy greens. A wonderful combination all around.

Last week, I had to focus on coking and had little attention for conversation. But this special polenta was still a potent statement.

There are many types of cooks, just as there are many types of learners. I cook by concept. Give me the concept of a dish, and I can enjoy figuring out how to make it. The basics of a recipe, and I’m at work trying to adapt it for better ingredients, tweak it for someone who has food sensitivities, or configure it for what ingredients I have on hand. That is how this polenta dish came into being.

I started experimenting with polenta when I wrote my cookbook. The simple single layer polenta wasn’t enough for me, I wanted something visually more appealing, and also with more textural variation. I ended up with a layered dish. It was polenta with a layer of greens, more polenta, a mushroom layer, and a final layer of polenta. All of that with tomato sauce and cheese also interspersed.

But that isn’t exactly a breakfast food. I wanted to keep the greens, substituted salsa for tomato sauce, and decided on a bean and cheese layer in place of mushrooms.

So for some of you the concept will be enough. If you need more instruction, keep reading.

Ingredients are key. Choose high quality, fresh, and local whenever possible. We assembled fresh ground yellow corn meal, potatoes, kale from the front garden, olive oil, local cheddar cheese, and a combination of red and white beans soaked overnight. The salsa also came from the front yard - chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, sweet peppers, and a bit of olive to saute the whole thing just so it was lightly cooked and flavors blended.

To make about 6 servings: Start with the beans. Cook the beans until they are very soft and easily mashed. They probably need at least an hour to cook, maybe two. So start them as early as possible. For the polenta, in a separate larger pot, start with 2 potatoes, washed but not peeled. Chop them and then cook until very tender in 5 cups of water, about 20 minutes. Add corn meal. The easiest way to prevent lumps is to add the hot water to the corn meal, add more and more until you have a muddy mixture, then add that to the pot. Continue to cook that medium to low heat until it thickens, pulls away form the sides, and is a little gloppy. It may take 10-20 minutes, you need to stir it for most of that time. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The cooked cornmeal potato mix is then put out to set in three similar containers. I use souffle dishes, about 8 inches in diameter. Each layer is about 1 - 1 1/2 inches. This creates your three layers. Let them cool and set about 30-60 minutes.

While that sets, chop or tear 1-2 bunches of kale into bite sized pieces, and saute in olive oil until they turn bright green, wilt, and reduce in size. In place of kale you could use spinach, chard, collards, nettles, dandelions, yellow dock, lambs quarters, amaranth, or other conventional or wild greens. Feel free to combine your favorites as well.

Grate 1-2 cups of cheddar, Asiago, or other strong quality cheese. Have the salsa mentioned above ready to be used.

One of the pans of settled polenta will be your final dish. Choose one with high sides. Layer the sauted greens onto that layer of polenta. Place the next layer over that, just flip it over onto the first, tap it a bit if need to loosen the congealed polenta. If for somereason it cracks or falls apart don't worry. It will be covered up.

On the second layer, layer the mashed beans, and 1/2 the grated cheese. Place the last layer on that, cover with cheese, then the salsa - at least 2 cups or more.

That completes the polenta. You can cover and refrigerate for later baking, or put it directly into a 350 degree oven, bake for about 45 minutes, until it is bubbly and the cheese is well melted. Serve hot.

Once cooked, leftovers can be frozen for at least 6 months. Leftovers stored in the refrigerator should be eaten within 3-4 days. It reheats well. If it seems dry, add more salsa before or after cooking.

For the original recipe and even more elaborate instructions, my cookbook is "Spinach and Beyond: Loving Life and Dark Green Leafy Vegetables".

The missing recipe is for no knead sourdough bread, based on the New York Times recipe. Since the sourdough starter is essentially captured wild yeasts, I can spend sometime writing about it in the next month or two.

SELMA is a great Ann Arbor kind of event. It is working, and it is a unique sort of fundraiser and community builder. I hope you will try it out one of these Friday mornings. Jeff and Lisa make everyone feel welcome. Or perhaps be inspired to create something similar. I hope to be a guest chef again. I'm thinking that in March the sap will be flowing, and making oatmeal from maple tree sap (not syrup - the pure full strength sap!) will be another breakfast that most have never experienced. Look at all the maple trees turning brilliant colors. That could be breakfast in the early spring. Linda Diane Feldt is a local Holistic Health Practitioner, author and teacher. For information on her cook book, classes, and more www.holisticwisdom.org