Polenta With Spicy Eggplant Sauce
serves 4-6
- For Eggplant Sauce:
- 3 Tbls olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/8 – ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 28oz can plum tomatoes roughly chopped, I use 2 lbs fresh tomatoes
- 1 Tbls tomato paste (I like the tubes of paste you buy in the Italian isle so you don’t waste)
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- fresh black pepper to taste
- 1 Medium eggplant, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- For Polenta:
- 1 ¼ cup cornmeal
- 3 ½ cups water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbls butter
- ¼ cup grated cheese
- minced fresh parsley
To make sauce, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and the red pepper and cook 30 seconds. Do not let the garlic brown. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Mix the tomato paste and vinegar, stir it in then stir in salt and pepper, bring to a boil. Add the eggplant and cover the pan. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell pepper, cover again and cook 10 minutes more, or until the eggplant and green pepper are tender. If the sauce is watery remove cover and boil a few minutes more until thickened. Keep warm while making the polenta. To make the polenta, combine the cornmeal and water and salt in a medium saucepan. On medium-high heat bring to a boil, whisking often. When the cornmeal mixture begins to boil, whisk constantly until the polenta is the consistency of mashed potatoes and begins to pull away from the pot. Remove from the heat and stir in butter and cheese. Pour onto an oiled platter or cutting board about 10 x18 inches and let sit 20 minutes, or until firm enough to cut into 3 inch squares. Serve the polenta squares with sauce spooned over and sprinkled with parsley. I make large batches of the sauce and can it for winter. You can buy polenta all made in a tube in the pasta isle that makes this super easy. Also if you simmer sauce in a skillet and then drop in eggs and let them cook it makes a great breakfast. We like to make this for breakfast when we camp with the sauce I have already canned.
