Eggplant Ragu With Creamy Polenta In Seconds Food

EGGPLANT RAGU WITH CREAMY POLENTA IN SECONDS

Steps:

• Polenta prep - Place a medium pan over high heat and fill with 5 cups of hot water. Add the polenta to the pan and stir. Season with a big pinch of salt. Let it cook to absorb the water, stirring occasionally.
• Ragu-ing - Now place a large pan over high heat to warm up. Meanwhile, cube up your eggplant. Take your portabella and scrape the gills from the underside of the cap with a spoon. Next dice up your mushroom. Your pan should be screaming hot by now. Add your olive oil to the hot pan. Toss the eggplant and mushroom into the pan. Season with salt, pepper and, if you like it spicy, chili flakes. Give the mixture a good toss.
• Tomato time - Grab your tomatoes and slice each in half, or try our hot tip to slice several at a time. Add the tomatoes to the ragu, scrunching them as you add them in. Add the apple cider vinegar and sugar to the pan and toss it up.
• Pimp up the polenta - Grab your parm and grate it up. Once the polenta reaches the applesauce-looking stage, lower the heat. Add the butter, cream cheese, and parm to the polenta and season generously with salt. Stir it up.
• Plate time! - Grab a plate. Tear up some basil, add it to the ragu, and toss one last time. Pour a pile of polenta right in the center of your plate. Top with a healthy portion of ragu. Garnish with a final grate of parm and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Hot Tip! No floppy fungi - Using a spoon, scrape the gills from the underside of the mushroom cap to remove excess moisture.
• Hot Tip! Timely tomatoes - Place anything flat on top of your tomatoes and, using a bread knife, slice from one side to the other, applying pressure from the top and voila.

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.

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.