Eggplant Ragout with Creamy Polenta

By tammy1365

A beautiful, rustic dish with strong flavors of fresh oregano, earthy eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, and rich polenta. An Italian fall classic.

Ingredients

• POLENTA:
• 3 3 3 cups water
• 2 2 2 cups milk
• 1 1 1 cup polenta
• 8 8 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• to salt, to taste
• EGGPLANT RAGOUT:
• 1 1 1 pound heirloom baby eggplants
• 1/2 1/2 8 large eggplant, peeled, about 8 ounces
• 4 4 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 2 2 shallots, peeled and quartered
• 1 1 1 cup olive oil, divided
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup red wine
• 14 14 14 ounces canned whole tomatoes
• 2 2 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 2 2 tablespoons basil leaves, chiffonade
• 1 1 1 tablespoon parsley leaves, chiffonade
• to salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• SERVING:
• Eggplant ragout
• Polenta
• Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Basil leaves, for garnish
• Oregano leaves, for garnish
• Wild onion blossoms, for garnish (minced chives are a good substitute)
• Lemon wedges

Details

Adapted from google.com

Preparation

Step 1

POLENTA:
In a large pot, bring the water and the milk to a simmer. Using a whisk, slowly add the polenta, vigorously stirring to avoid clumps. Reduce the heat to low and allow to cook until the polenta is plump and swollen, not grainy, 40 to 50 minutes. Whisk every 7 to 10 minutes to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot or burns. Once the polenta is fully cooked, whisk in the cubes of cold butter one at a time until the butter is fully melted and emulsified into the polenta. Season with white pepper and kosher salt.

EGGPLANT:
While the polenta is cooking, prep the eggplant.Slice the heirloom baby eggplants into ½-inch-thick coins, and then roughly chop the large eggplant. Place the peeled eggplant in a food processor along with the garlic and shallots, and purée until smooth.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add ¼ cup of the olive oil. Once the olive oil is hot and the pan is just below smoking, add the coins of baby eggplant. Sear cut-sides down until deep golden brown, 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and reserve for later use.

In the same sauté pan, heat ½ cup of the olive oil over low heat, add the eggplant purée and sweat until all the moisture has evaporated, 15 to 18 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and simmer until the wine has completely reduced, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes and break up the large tomato chunks with a wooden spoon. Mix in the reserved seared eggplant, lemon juice and honey, and simmer for another 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the chiffonade of basil and parsley , the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Plate the eggplant ragout over the polenta; garnish with the Parmesan cheese, basil and oregano leaves, wild onion blossoms and a squeeze of a lemon wedge; and serve.