Tian Provencal With Polenta

By LRay

Martha Stewart Living, November 2015, page 48.

When it comes to radiating warmth at the dinner table, nothing beats a meal-in-one casserole. What's more, this dish can be assembled a day ahead, goes straight from the oven to the table, and offers help-yourself allure in abundance.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking dish
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking polenta
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large leek, white and pale-green parts only, thinly sliced into half-moons and washed well (2 cups)
• 1/2 small eggplant (6 ounces), cut into 1/8-inch rounds
• 1 large zucchini (10 ounces), cut into 1/8-inch rounds
• 2 medium tomatoes (10 ounces), cut into 1/8-inch rounds
• 1 cup coarsely grated (on the large holes of a box grater) Gruyere

Details

Servings 1
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from marthastewart.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a shallow 2-quart baking dish with oil. Bring milk and 2 1/2 cups water to a simmer in a medium pot. Whisk in polenta; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared dish, spreading in an even layer.

Layer half of leek, eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes over polenta. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Scatter with half of cheese. Repeat layering with remaining ingredients, omitting cheese.

Bake 30 minutes. Press vegetables down with a spatula; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until vegetables are knife-tender and edges are caramelized, about 35 minutes more. (If cheese is darkening too quickly, tent with foil.) Let cool slightly before serving.