Fresh Corn Polenta with Eggplant Sauce
 
 
Ingredients
  • Eggplant Sauce
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 medium eggplant, cut into ¾-inch dice
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • 1 cup grated tomatoes (from about 3 medium tomatoes), skins discarded
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped oregano
  • Dash red pepper flake
  • Polenta
  • 6 ears of corn, husked
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons butter, diced
  • 6 ounces feta, crumbled
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper
Instructions
  1. For the Eggplant Sauce: Heat up the oil in a large saucepan and fry the eggplant on medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until brown. Drain off as much oil as you can
  2. Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir with the eggplant. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, 6 tablespoons water, salt, sugar and oregano and cook for a further 5 minutes to get a deep-flavored sauce. Set aside; warm it up when needed.
  3. For the Fresh Corn Polenta: Use a sharp knife to shave the kernels off of the cobs -- either stand each ear upright on its base and shave downward, or lay each ear on its side on a cutting board to slice off the kernels.
  4. Place the kernels in a medium saucepan and barely cover them with 2 cups of water. Cook for 12 minutes on a low simmer.
  5. Pour the corn kernels and their cooking liquid into a blender. Process them for quite a few minutes, to break as much of the kernel case as possible.
  6. Return the corn puree to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to mashed potato consistency.
  7. Fold in the butter, the feta, salt and some pepper and optionally cook for a further 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.
  8. To serve, spoon the polenta evenly into 4 bowls then top with the eggplant sauce.
Recipe by Allons-Eat! at https://www.allonseat.com/fresh-corn-polenta-with-eggplant-sauce/