Ingredients
- 1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
- 1 quart chicken stock, divided
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 red onion, chopped, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 to 4 celery stalks, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 cubanelle peppers, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 eggplants, peeled of half the skin, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
- 1 cup milk
- Handful golden raisins
- 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
- 1 cup quick cooking polenta
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano
Directions
Place dried mushrooms and 2 cups chicken stock in a small pot over medium-low heat.
Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven or high sided skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add garlic, crushed pepper, onions, carrots, celery, peppers, and eggplant to the pot as you chop them. Add the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and cover the pot to sweat the vegetables out a little faster. Stir occasionally for 10 to 12 minutes then uncover and add the balsamic vinegar.
Remove the reconstituted dried mushrooms to the pot with a slotted spoon. Pour in all but the last few tablespoons of mushroom stock. The last of the stock can hold a little loose grit from the dried mushrooms. Add tomatoes and break up with a wooden spoon. Simmer over low heat the last few minutes before serving. Adjust salt and pepper.
Heat the remaining 2 cups stock with 1 cup milk, golden raisins and rosemary over medium high heat. Whisk in polenta and stir 3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in honey, butter and cheese.
Pile some polenta in shallow bowls and spoon the stew around the polenta.
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By tracyb21
on January 04, 2012
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This is absolutely delicious. I have made it a few times and my family loves it. The only problem is when I search for it, it never seems to come up easily on the site! Need to remind myself to type in "eggplant stew" and not just eggplant.
By alkg37
on July 14, 2011
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I made this recipe vegan by using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, agave syrup instead of honey, natural balance instead of butter, and excluded the cheese. Excellent!
By Schmitty2456
Houston, TX
on November 01, 2010
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The stew gets three stars and the polenta gets five stars. I had an extra serving of the polenta for dessert because it's seriously THAT good. I don't do cow diary so the only subs I made were goat milk, duck fat, and pecorino.
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