Polenta and Vegetables with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked instant polenta
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan, divided
• 1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or oregano) or 1 tablespoon dried
• cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 asparagus stalks, ends trimmed
• 8 scallions, trimmed
• 2 small Japanese or Italian eggplants, trimmed and halved
• 1 medium-large yellow squash (about pound), cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 jar (12 ounces) prepared roasted red peppers, drained
• 1/3 cup vegetable (or chicken) broth
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, basil or parsley (plus extra for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Method

1. 01Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Add polenta in a stream, whisking to combine.
2. 02Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/3 cup Parmesan and season with cayenne and salt.
3. 03Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Transfer polenta to pie plate, smooth into an even layer and let cool 15 minutes.
4. 04Heat broiler. Whisk garlic, thyme, lemon juice and oil in a bowl.
5. 05Season with salt and pepper. Toss vegetables with dressing.
6. 06Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange vegetables in 1 layer (or in 1 layer in a grill basket). Broil vegetables about 4 inches from heat until tender and slightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes on each side.
7. 07Transfer to a platter. Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
8. 08Sprinkle polenta with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan. Broil polenta in pie plate until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, then cut polenta into 8 triangles.
9. 09Divide polenta among 4 plates. Top with vegetables, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with chives.
10. 10Serve any remaining sauce on the side.