Waffled Polenta Crisps with Caponata for #WaffleWeek2015

Welcome to Waffle Week! This is my first time participating in Waffle Week and I, admittedly, and not really a waffle aficionado. That might change after this event. But I do make waffles. For August's #FoodieExtravaganza I made a savory Chicken and Mashed Potato Waffles. I've made waffles with olive oil and waffles with coconut milk. Not surprisingly, I opted to go savory for this post.

I was also inspired by the flats of tomatoes I picked up from Serendipity Farms. One of my favorite things to do with tomatoes is make a huge batch of caponata. Caponata is an agrodolce (sour-sweet) dish from Sicily that features eggplants, squash, tomatoes, and capers in a sweetened vinegar sauce. I usually toss it into pasta or smear it on slices of bread. For this, I decided to spoon it on top of mini polenta waffles. You can make the caponata the day before you want to make this dish. Just heat the portion you plan to use.

Many thanks to Kimberly of Feed Me Seymour for hosting this event.

Ingredients
Caponata

• olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
• 2 zucchini or summer squash, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 4 tomatoes, destemmed and chopped
• 1/2 C capers with brine
• 1/2 C fresh herbs (I used a mixture of parsley, oregano, and mint)
• 1/4 C organic granulated sugar
• 1/4 C balsamic vinegar

Polenta Waffles

• 1 (18 oz.) sleeve pre-cooked polenta (I used Trader Joe's Organic Polenta), sliced into 8 equal slices
• butter, melted

Procedure

Caponata

In a large, flat-bottom pan, heat your olive oil. Then saute the onions, garlic, and celery until the onions are softened and beginning to turn translucent. Add the eggplant and another splash of olive oil. Cook until the eggplant is softened and beginning to look less opaque. Add in the squash, bell peppers, tomato, and capers with brine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes have reduced to a thick sauce.

In a separate pan, dissolve the sugar into the vinegar to form a syrup. Pour the syrup into the eggplant and fold in the herbs.

Polenta Waffles

Heat your waffle iron and brush the heated iron with melted butter. Place polenta slices on iron. Press iron down until it closes all the way. Cook until the polenta is waffled and nicely crisped and browned. Remove from iron with a spatula and fork, then place in a warm oven until you have cooked all of your waffles

To Serve
Layer polenta waffle crisps with a dollop of caponata. I served a double-decker for our appetizers.

Here's what the rest of the #WaffleWeek2015 crew brought to the table...

Appet-affles

• Cheese & Pear Waffle Appetizer by The Freshman Cook
• Waffled Polenta Crisps with Caponata by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Breakf-affles

• Buckwheat Waffles Benedict by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Churro Waffles by A Nerd Cooks
• Coconut Flour Waffles with Spiced Pineapple Syrup by Aloha Flavor
• Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Pecan Waffles by Rhubarb and Honey
• Orange and Dark Chocolate Waffles by Cookie Monster Cooking
• Peanut Butter & Jelly Stuffed French Toast Waffles by The Spiffy Cookie
• Potato Waffle Eggs Florentine by Eats Well With Others
• Pumpkin Waffle Sandwiches with Apple Butter and Melted Brie by Go Go Go Gourmet

Waffl-ides

• Brown Sugar Chicken and Waffles by GirlCarnivore
• Cauliflower Cheese Waffles by Food Lust People Love
• Chicken and Spiced Sweet Potato Waffles by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Hummus Waffles with Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomatoes by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Mac and Cheese Waffles with Honey Bunches Chicken by Baking In A Tornado
• Sweet & Savoury Sausage & Apple Waffles by Fuchsia Freezer
• Sweet Potato Waffles with Horseradish Sauce by Our Good Life

Dessert Dish-affles

• Apple Pie Waffles by Spiced
• Banana Split Waffles by Cravings of a Lunatic
• Homemade Waffle Cones by Eva Bakes
• Neapolitan Waffles by Dinner at the Zoo
• Pumpkin Pecan Waffles by Feed Me, Seymour
• Pumpkin Pie Waffle Cake by Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
• Red Velvet Waffles with Bourbon Cherry Syrup & Cream Cheese Drizzle by Cooking In Stilettos