Real polenta makes a big difference
I am a huge fan of Ottolenghi in London. I own all their cookbooks too. When I saw a recipe for real polenta and an eggplant sauce on Food52 there was no doubt I was going to have to make it for the weekend. I didn't exactly follow the eggplant part because I thought it needed more eggplant. The recipe below is what I did. I served the polenta under a piece of fish with the eggplant sauce over the fish. Really delicious.
Eggplant:
5/6 medium sized eggplants cut into cubes (the more the merrier)
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (could easily use canned too)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp. chopped oregano
In a medium sized sauce pan cover the bottom with vegetable oil. At a high heat put in the eggplant cubes. Turn down to medium and saute until browned. Takes about 15 minutes and it sticks to the bottom. You can always put in a little more oil.
Once the eggplant is done take a slotted spoon and transfer the eggplant into another medium sized sauce pan. Add in the tomato paste and wine and cook for about 2 minutes on a medium heat.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until incorporated and warm. I found out that the recipe really needed more eggplant so I browned up some more and added it to the pot and through in a little more salt and sugar. The one above should work but it doesn't, this is an easy recipe to doctor to your liking
Polenta:
7 ears of corn – take all the kernels off
1 tbsp. butter
8 ounces feta cheese
salt
In a medium sized pan put in the kernels and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and then down to a simmer for about 10 minutes. The kernels should be soft but still have a bite.
Using a slotted spoon transfer the kernels to a Cuisinart and pulse until they have formed a paste. Don't throw out the water. You can truly puree it or leave it a little chunky. I left it a little chunky.
Put the mixture back into a new medium sized sauce pan and add about 1/2 cup of the water that the corn boiled in. Then add in the butter and feta cheese. Mix until incorporated. Serve.
I made it in advance. Before serving I warmed it up and then added in the butter and feta.
Really amazing.
Comments (Archived):
I recently bought my mom, an avid cook, Plenty. LOVES IT. I’ve been getting photos of dishes weekly.
Polenta FTW! One of my favs. Yum.
Hi Joanne, I just posted about your recipe and how it inspired a slightly different version… Thank you (as always!) for the wonderful inspiration!Here is the post http://tastefairy.tumblr.co…