Guest Post: Polenta Cake with Summer Squash and Eggplant

Today's guest post is brought to you by my old friend Joe, who is actually a professional cook, not some home-grown charlatan like me!


I usually cook seasonally, after all when the weather turns cold we should be thinking about hearty and warming soups, roasted root vegetables and the bounty of squash, pumpkins and gourds that can be found all around your area. But sometimes I like to hearken back to when the Cubs are on the radio and the Midwest is as pleasant as it gets. This dish reminds me of the summertime.

I originally learned to make a version of this dish at a now defunct restaurant called District 211 in Kalamazoo Michigan. Now, in that version it was covered in a heavy tomato coulis and topped with goat cheese. I feel it's a little heavy for a vegetarian entree so lets get rid of it. This dish is lighter and really lets the vegetables shine a little more. This serves 6.

Polenta cake
3 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup corn meal
2 sprigs rosemary-chopped plus 6 whole sprigs
1 sprig thyme-chopped
large pinch kosher salt
pinch cracked black pepper

1 cup balsamic vinegar
tablespoon brown sugar

6 cloves garlic-chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 zucchini and 2 yellow squash-sliced lengthwise
2 medium white onions-sliced
3 Roma tomatoes-quartered
4 Mixed red and yellow bell peppers-seeded and quartered
1 medium eggplant sliced across
1/2 cup basil-chiffonade cut

Method
Put milk, rosemary, and thyme in saucepan and bring to a simmer. Slowly stir in corn meal as to prevent any lumps from forming. Now this is the hard part, you have to stir this mixture until a wooden spoon stands straight up, about 25 minutes.

Grease a sheet pan with a little olive oil and spoon the polenta onto it. Smooth the top as flat as possible and against one end. You should have enough for half of the sheet tray. Put it into a fridge to cool.

Put balsamic and brown sugar into small sauce pan over medium low heat. Reduce slowly being careful not to scorch. It should coat a spoon like molasses and be tart and sweet.

Put garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar into a large bowl. Add vegetables, salt and pepper and toss well. Let sit for 30 minutes or so.

Preheat your grill to high heat. If you don't have a grill you can roast the vegetables under the broiler. Put nice grill marks on your veggies cooking them about 3/4 of the way. They should still be firm to the bite, set on a platter and keep warm.

Take the polenta out of the fridge and cut into 6 square pieces. Heat non stick pan to medium high,add olive oil. The goal is to nicely brown the polenta on both sides until heated through. Cut in half forming 2 triangles. Arrange plates artfully to your desire, drizzle the balsamic, sprinkle basil over top and place the rosemary sprigs where you see fit.

Serve with a dry white and a loaf of good bread.

A variation on this dish could include keeping the polenta soft and adding a touch of truffle oil to it. Sub half the veggies with some roasted mushrooms and omit the balsamic for an awesome meatless meal.