Eggplant Ragu On Polenta Food

EGGPLANT RAGU ON POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Toss eggplant with 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large bowl to coat; season with salt and pepper. Spread eggplant onto a large baking sheet; cover with aluminum foil. Roast in preheated oven until very soft, 60 to 70 minutes. While the eggplant roasts, heat remaining olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir onion until caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Scrape eggplant from the baking sheet directly into the onion mixture; stir. Add garlic and stir. Pour red wine into the pan to deglaze, scraping browned bits of food from the bottom of the pan with the flat edge of a wooden spoon, 2 to 3 minutes; add tomato puree, basil, sugar, chili flakes, and bay leaf and stir. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook at a simmer, stirring frequently to make sure the mixture doesn't burn, until thickened to your preferred texture, at least 30 minutes to 2 hours. While the sauce simmers, bring water to a boil in a large pot; add salt. Slowly pour polenta into the water while stirring with a whisk; cook, stirring continually, until the mixture begins to thicken, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook until smooth, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove bay leaf from sauce; discard. Spoon polenta into bowls; top with the eggplant ragu. Garnish with olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and basil.

PORK RAGù OVER CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• Pork:
• Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Cook pork, turning often, until evenly browned, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a platter and pour off pan drippings.
• Wipe out any burned bits from pot, but leave the golden-brown pieces (doing this will keep the finished sauce from tasting bitter). Add onion and garlic to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to brown and caramelize, 12-15 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly darkened in color, 5-8 minutes.
• Add wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until reduced by about half, 5-8 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you go, then add thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves; stir in 2 cups water. Add pork with any juices accumulated on the platter; season with salt and pepper.
• Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until pork is falling-apart tender, sauce is thickened (it will be thicker than a typical pasta sauce), and flavors have melded, 2 1/2-3 hours.
• Using 2 forks, break up pork into pieces or shred it (your choice!); taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Do ahead: Pork can be cooked 5 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill in sauce.
• Polenta and assembly:
• Bring 6 cups salted water to a boil in a large pot. Whisking constantly, gradually add polenta; reduce heat to medium-low.
• Cook, whisking often, until polenta is tender and creamy, 20-25 minutes (if polenta becomes too thick too soon, loosen mixture by adding more water and continue cooking). Add butter and 1/2 cup Parmesan to polenta and whisk until melted; season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon polenta into bowls or onto a platter and top with pork. Scatter parsley and more Parmesan over top and drizzle with oil.

VEGAN POLENTA WITH RAGU

Steps:

• Combine boiling water and lentils in a bowl and set aside for 1 hour. Combine texturized vegetable protein and broth in a separate bowl and set aside until liquid is absorbed.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a stew pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, red bell pepper, and hot pepper. Cook and stir until onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add drained lentils and undrained texturized vegetable protein. Stir and add oregano and bay leaf. Add red wine and continue stirring, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes. Stir and simmer ragu until thickened and lentils are soft, 5 to 10 minutes; add a bit more water if needed.
• Bring vegetable broth, water, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to low and sprinkle polenta into the water, stirring constantly to ensure there are no lumps. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add vegan butter, stirring constantly.
• Distribute polenta evenly among 4 pasta bowls. Remove bay leaf from ragu and discard. Top each bowl with equal amounts of ragu. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon vegan white cheese over each bowl and serve warm.

EGGPLANT RAGù WITH CAPERS AND BURRATA

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until onions start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until lightly caramelized, another 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
• Use your hands to break up the tomatoes in the can, squishing them into the skillet. Pour in the tomato juices. Fill tomato can halfway with water and stir that water into the skillet. Add half the basil leaves, season with salt and black pepper to taste, and red-pepper flakes, then simmer vigorously until tomatoes break down and sauce has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the broiler, and place the rack 4 inches from the heat source.
• Cube 1 1/2 of the eggplants into 1 1/4-inch cubes (about 7 cups). Save remaining half an eggplant for garnish. Arrange cubed eggplant in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss eggplant thoroughly with remaining 4 tablespoons oil, then season to taste with salt.
• Broil eggplant until browned on one side, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the pieces and broil until browned and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. (If your eggplant starts to burn, move the baking sheet to a lower rack.)
• To make the garnish of eggplant slices, slice remaining eggplant lengthwise into long, thin 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place flour on a plate, and generously coat both sides of each eggplant slice.
• In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees. Fry eggplant, in batches, until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes, flipping the slices halfway through. Transfer to a separate paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt.
• In a medium bowl, fold together burrata and ricotta.
• To serve, gently stir broiled eggplant into tomato sauce until evenly coated. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the eggplant is warmed through. Transfer to serving bowls, and spoon burrata mixture on top. Garnish with remaining basil leaves, crisp eggplant slices and the capers if you like.

"V" IS FOR VEGETARIAN RAGOUT OVER CHEESE POLENTA WITH RED PEPPER COULIS

Steps:

• Whisk the cornstarch into the vegetable broth. Melt the butter over medium heat in a saute pan, and then add the chicken broth mixture, red peppers and garlic. Simmer 30 minutes. *Pour hot mixture into blender and blend until smooth to make red pepper sauce. While the pepper sauce is simmering, begin the polenta.
• Combine vegetable stock and cream in a large heavy saucepan. Heat to a gentle boil over medium heat, being careful not to burn. While whisking constantly, gradually add the cornmeal. Once cornmeal is incorporated, keep heat low and continue to whisk until mixture is slightly thickened and creamy. Stir in Parmesan, and season with pepper. (Since Parmesan is salty, add salt only if needed). Set aside in a warm place.
• Heat oil in a saute pan. Saute onion, garlic, carrot, zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant, until they begin to soften. Stir in tomato paste, chopped fresh parsley, thyme, and let cook until flavors integrate, about 10 more minutes. Add olives and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, as needed. Remove from heat and stir in fresh tomato. Let sit to rest.
• Place cheese polenta onto serving plate, making a well in the center. Top with vegetable ragout in the center, and spoon red pepper coulis over top. Garnish with fresh basil.

EGGPLANT RAGOUT WITH CREAMY POLENTA RECIPE

Steps:

• Make the 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.
• 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.

ITALIAN EGGPLANT RAGOUT

Steps:

• Scoop out center and seeds of eggplant halves. Cut eggplants into 3/4 inch dice. Toss with salt in bowl and let it stand for at least 20 minutes. Drain off the fluid that collects, rinse well, and pat dry.
• Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and saute until softened (about 5 minutes.) Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more, or until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, chickpeas, and eggplants. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes, or until eggplants are tender but not mushy.
• Stir in capers and sugar, and cook 2 minutes more. Fold in parsley, and season with black pepper.

LAYERED EGGPLANT AND POLENTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF degrees with rack in upper third.
• In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat; add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms cook, stirring, until soft and lightly golden, about 8 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in vinegar, oregano, basil & Italian seasoning; season with pepper.
• Remove sauce from heat.
• Meanwhile, heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat; lightly brush eggplant slices with the remaining tablespoon oil.
• Working in batches, lay slices in skillet in a single layer; cook until browned and they begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• Transfer to a plate.
• Spoon about a cup tomato sauce into a 9-inch square baking dish, spreading to coat evenly; arrange eggplant slices snugly in a single layer.
• Spoon about 1 cup tomato sauce over eggplant, and arrange polenta rounds in slightly overlapping slices on top.
• Repeat with sauce and another layer of eggplant.
• Finish by dotting with remaining tomato sauce.
• Cover with foil; bake until bubbling and juicy, about 30 minutes.
• Remove foil; continue baking until sauce is lightly caramelized and eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes more.
• Remove from oven; let cool slightly, and serve.

VEGETABLE RAGU WITH CREAMY MASCARPONE POLENTA RECIPE - (4.4/5)

Steps:

• In a large skillet, add enough olive oil for an even coat. Heat on medium high-heat. Add the vegetables to the hot skillet, and season with salt & pepper to taste.Saute the vegetables, on medium high heat, until soft (but just a little al dente) until golden brown. Because the squash cooks faster than the carrots and onion, I cooked them separately and a bit longer. When the last batch of vegetables is at the end of sauteeing, add the minced garlic. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and remove the vegetables and set aside. You want to see some browning on the bottom of the pan, after cooking all the vegetables. This is where the flavor comes from. For flavor building, add a generous splash of red wine to the hot skillet. (You could opt out of the wine by substituting a chicken or vegetable broth). Deglaze the pan, scraping up all the flavor bits from the skillet. Add the tomato paste, whisking and cooking for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce; add the Italian seasoning and sugar*. *The sugar is to balance out the acidity of the tomato sauce. Stir until combined and bubbly hot. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking. Note: The reason I prefer to use low-salt tomato products is so that I can control the salt-intake. Add the vegetables to the sauce and stir to combine; reduce heat to low. Polenta: Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the milk. Slowly whisk in the corn meal, which will begin to thicken very quickly. Reduce the heat. Add the Parmesan cheese, butter, and mascarpone and whisk until melted and combined. Taste for seasoning. To keep the Polenta warm (up to 20 minutes), cover with a lid. To serve, if the Polenta is too thick, you can smooth it out by adding a little low-salt chicken stock, milk or water.

MARIO'S EGGPLANT RAGU

Steps:

• Sprinkle the eggplant with 1 tablespoon salt and drain in a colander for 30 minutes. Rinse, pat dry and cut in 1/4-inch dice.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the eggplant, peppers and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and cover. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and cook, uncovered, stirring, for 5 minutes. Season with 1 tablespoon salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the basil and let sit for 5 minutes before serving with pasta or polenta.

SAUSAGE-AND-PEPPER RAGU OVER POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high; melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pierce sausages with a fork; add to skillet. Cook until browned in places, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Meanwhile, cut vegetables into 1/2-inch slices; add to skillet. Season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until browned in places, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Return sausages to skillet with 3/4 cup broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes. Uncover; simmer until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• In a saucepan, combine polenta, 2 cups broth, and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Serve, with ragu, parsley, and more cheese and pepper.