Polenta Pie with Eggplant Caponata
There’s a new crust in town, and her name is Polenta. She’s an oldie-but-goodie — although polenta dates back to Roman times, it’s still on market shelves today. It’s basically a cooked cornmeal mash. Originally, it was served as more of a porridge; nowadays, it can be cut into slices and then grilled, or it can be topped with anything from sautéed mushrooms to grated cheese and then baked.
No matter what you ultimately do with your polenta, the first step is simple: simmer cornmeal until it’s thick and creamy. After it’s reached that point, you can let it cool and then shape it (supermarket polenta usually comes rolled into a log), or you can serve it immediately alongside whatever strikes your fancy. You can even make it into an easy “crust” of sorts, as you can see in this recipe for Polenta Pie. How you choose to fill and top it is up to you!
Polenta Pie with Eggplant Caponata
For the crust:
1 cup coarse cornmeal or polenta
3 cups water
1 tsp. sea salt
1-2 tsp. dried herbs/spices of your choice (if you don’t want to craft your own mixture, an Italian seasoning blend would be an easy choice)
For the filling:
Your choice of aromatics: garlic, onions, green onion, leeks, shallots: approx. 1 cup chopped or minced (if you’re using garlic, only use 6 cloves maximum)
Your choice of greens: spinach, chard, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens: 3-4 cups coarsely chopped
Your choice of legumes: white beans, chickpeas, black beans, lentils, even green peas: approx. 2 cups drained
1 large chopped tomato (optional)
For the topping:
One recipe caponata OR a few spoonfuls of chunky marinara, bolognese, or similar Mediterranean sauce
Grease a 9″ springform pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the polenta, bring the water to a boil, then stir in salt and cornmeal. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes or until the cornmeal has turned into a soft, creamy mush. If your cornmeal is fine- or medium-grind rather than coarsely ground, it may cook in as little as 15 minutes. Remove polenta from heat, stir in dried herbs/spices, and set aside.
While the polenta cooks, sautée your aromatics in a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat until the aromatics are fragrant and turning translucent. (For garlic, this will probably happen in 2-3 minutes; for thick-cut onions, this could take 10 minutes or longer.) Gently fold in greens and cook for another few minutes until greens are starting to wilt. Remove from heat and stir in beans and tomato.
Spread half of the polenta in the bottom of the springform pan. Carefully spoon filling on top of the polenta, then finish by layering the remaining polenta on top of the filling. Bake for 25 minutes or until the polenta is firm when poked. Remove from oven and let sit for 2-3 minutes to harden a little before you carefully un-spring the sides of the pan.
Slice and serve the polenta just as you would a pie, accompanying each “slice” with a spoonful of caponata. A sprig or two of fresh oregano or basil would make a tasty garnish.
Enjoy!
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Tags: beans, caponata, cornmeal, gluten-free, greens, mediterranean, polenta, savory pie, summer dish
