Today’s recipe is a tasty vegetarian dish using polenta (cornmeal) in place of pasta for a healthy lasagna-style meal. This is a dish you can serve for a crowd of friends, and any left overs can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheated for a quick supper. NB. Do NOT freeze polenta!
Polenta with Eggplant & Mushrooms
Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients:
200g Polenta (fine cornmeal)
1 litre vegetable broth
30g mushrooms
1 eggplant
600ml jar of Passato tomato sauce
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
Bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
50ml white wine
2 tbsp olive oil
25g Parmesan cheese
20g Mozarella cheese
S/P
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 400F
Prepare vegetable stock. Cook Polenta with 1:5 ratio – 200g to 1liter vegetable broth.
Boil the vegetable broth in a medium pan and gradually add the polenta, whisking it with a hand whisk for 3-4 minutes until mixture is thick
Continue boiling for at least 15 minutes to thoroughly cook polenta.
Tomato sauce – heat 1 tbsp olive oil in separate pan and fry one clove of crushed garlic.
Add jar of passato tomato sauce, pinch of salt & pepper, some parsley and simmer gently for 45 minutes
Saute mushrooms – heat butter in small frying pan, add one clove of crushed garlic and sliced mushrooms.
Add white wine and rest of parsley and stir until wine evaporates and mushrooms are soft
Roasted Eggplant – Slice eggplant into rounds (not too thick) and brush each with olive oil. Place on a baking tray and bake at 400F for 20 minutes until a light golden brown colour
Assemble dish in layers:
1st layer = some polenta at the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Then cover with some of the tomato sauce, sautéed mushrooms and roasted eggplant and sprinkle with parmesan
2nd layer = polenta
3rd layer = add more of the tomato sauce, sautéed mushrooms and roasted eggplant and cover with slices of mozzarella cheese
Sprinkle rest of Parmesan cheese on top and bake in oven, increased to 410F for 15 minutes.
Chef’s Tip:
You can vary this dish according to your taste – instead of tomato sauce, use pesto; or just use sautéed mushrooms with a béchamel sauce; or use cream cheese instead of Parmesan. Of course, you can use a bolognese meat sauce too. It’s up to you! It’s a very simple dish you can play with but remember that Polenta is a healthy alternative to lasagna, pasta or rice.
Buon Appetito!
