This is not a quick recipe, but it can satisfy a pizza craving, is elegant enough to serve for company, is kid-friendly (if your kids like vegetables), and reheats exceptionally well.
As written, this recipe is wheat-free and gluten-free, but it can easily be adapted to exclude dairy and tomatoes. The cheese used as a topping is entirely optional; if you're cooking for a dairy allergy, simply exclude it and leave out the butter at the end of the polenta. It will still be delicious. Tomatoes are simply a suggested topping and can easily be replaced. I do not, however, recommend substituting the egg.
Prep Time: 0 hours, 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hours, 00 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 c chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 c polenta (coarse-ground cornmeal)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 lb. crimini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
- 1 medium eggplant, peeled, salted, and cut into strips
- 4-5 medium tomatoes, sliced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, sliced
- olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, sliced
- Olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
- Feta and/or freshly-grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
- Freshly chopped sage
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Cook the polenta. In a heavy saucepan, heat the chicken or vegetable broth over medium-high heat until boiling.
- When the broth comes to a rolling boil, turn heat down as low as it will go and add polenta, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer polenta, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes, or until it is tender. When the polenta is cooked, take it off the heat and stir in the butter.
- Prepare the crust. In a large greased baking dish (about 9 x 13 or 10 x 14), mix polenta and beaten egg thoroughly.
- Spread polenta across the bottom of the pan until the entire pan is evenly covered. Put polenta in oven to brown.
- Roast the tomatoes. Spread tomatoes as evenly as possible on a greased cookie sheet. Lightly salt them and put them in the oven with the polenta to roast and caramelize.
- Sauté the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add onions and garlic and cook until golden-brown, flipping frequently.
- Add eggplant, mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste, and saute until thoroughly cooked. Set aside.
- Assemble the torte. When the crust is lightly browned and the tomatoes are fragrant, remove them from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 325°. (This likely will not take much longer than it takes you to prepare the other vegetables.)
- Top crust with a thin layer of olive oil. This will help keep the liquid content of the vegetables from making the polenta soggy. Evenly top with tomatoes and the eggplant-mushroom mixture. Top with feta and Parmesan.
- Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and just beginning to brown.
- Turn on the broiler and broil for several minutes until cheese is golden-brown.
To serve: Serve immediately, topped with chopped sage.
Substitute Toppings: While polenta is flavorful, it doesn't clash with many foods. Here are some ideas for other toppings for this recipe. Be creative!
- Italian sausage, bacon, or chicken tenderloins: brown in a dry skillet.
- Zucchini, yellow squash: Saute as with the mushrooms and eggplant.
- Spinach, chard, kale, or other greens: Wilt with salt and a little water in a skillet.
- Bell peppers or Italian peppers: Roast as with the tomatoes.
- Pesto: Add in place of the olive oil at the end. The oil content will protect the crust. Note that pesto includes tree nuts and dairy.
