Slow-Cooked Ratatouille Over Goat Cheese Polenta

Ingredients

• 28 ounce canned tomatoes whole peeled canned
• 1.5 teaspoons coarse salt 
• 2 large eggplant peeled cut into 1/2-inch pieces ( 10 1/2 cups)
• 0.3 cup flour all-purpose
• 1 cup basil fresh coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon thyme sprigs fresh finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons garlic finely chopped
• 0.5 cup goat cheese fresh
• 1.5 cups cornmeal instant (not )
• 6 cups chicken stock low-sodium
• 0.3 pound parmesan packed freshly grated
• 10  pepper black
• 2  bell pepper red cut into 1/2-inch pieces ( 3 cups)
• 3.5 cups onion red small to medium halved thinly sliced
• 0.3 cup tomato paste 
• 0.5 stick butter unsalted
• 3 medium to 3 sized squashes yellow cut into 1/2-inch pieces ( 6 1/2 cups)

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• ladle
• whisk
• wooden spoon
• kitchen towels
• slow cooker
• colander

Directions

1. Make the Ratatouille
2. Grease the slow cooker with cooking spray.
3. Place the eggplant and zucchini in a large colander and toss well with 3 tablespoons of the salt; let sit for about 45 minutes. Rinse well to remove the salt, then dry well, gently squeezing out excess water with a kitchen towel.
4. Add to the greased slow cooker.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. When warm, add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.
6. Transfer to the slow cooker. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. As soon as it melts, add the flour and tomato paste, and cook until the mixture is thickened and the flour disappears, about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium high and add the tomatoes with their juices, thyme, and pepper. Cook, crushing the tomatoes a bit with a wooden spoon, until thickened and smooth, about 6 minutes.
7. Mix with the vegetables in the slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low until the vegetables are tender, 4 to 5 hours. Uncover and remove from the heat; immediately stir in the cheese and basil.
8. Make the polenta
9. While the ratatouille is cooking, add the stock and salt to a medium, heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring every 3 minutes, until creamy and thickened, 30 to 35 minutes.
10. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, cheese, and pepper.
11. To serve
12. Ladle polenta into individual bowls, spoon ratatouille on top, and serve immediately.
13. Reprinted with permission from Year-Round Slow Cooker by Dina Cheney, © 2013 Taunton Press