Recipe: Polenta with Eggplant

Polenta with Eggplant

1 cup raw polenta (coarse ground cornmeal)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 lg onion chopped fine
1 green pepper chopped fine
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil * see note
3 cups tomatoes chopped
1/4 cup parsley chopped
1 tsp dried basil
2 med eggplants OR
1 lg eggplant
3/4 cup mozzarella or jack cheese grated

Place polenta in top of a double boiler with 4 cups of boiling water and 1/2 tsp of the salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook for 30-40 minutes, until mush is quite thick. Pack into round, straight-sided containers that are, ideally, the same diameter as the eggplants. Refrigerate. Meanwhile, saute onion, pepper, and garlic in oil until tender. Crush garlic with a fork. Then add tomatoes, parsley, basil, and remaining 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring often, for 15 minutes, breaking up tomatoes as you stir. When polenta is chilled, slice it in 1/2" rounds. Do the same with the eggplants. Oil a 9x13" baking dish and overlap alternate slices of eggplant and polenta in a pretty, fish-scale design (if the eggplant is too large to do this, simply layer it lasagna-style). Pour tomato sauce over the whole works and sprinkle cheese on top. Cover the dish and bake in a 350 F oven for 45 minutes, or until the eggplant tests done with a fork.