Instructions
Follow the steps and taste along the way.
Prepare the eggplant and vegetables
Cut the eggplant into roughly 2 cm cubes. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Juice the lemon; you will use 20 ml of juice at the end. Chop the parsley.
Sear the eggplant
Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add 10 ml of olive oil and arrange half the eggplant in a single layer. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned in several places and softened. Transfer it to a plate and sear the remaining eggplant in the same way with another 10 ml of oil.
Cook the ragù
Add the beef to the same skillet and break it into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook for 5–6 minutes, until browned with no pink parts remaining. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, then stir in the garlic and tomato paste and heat for 30 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes, oregano, smoked paprika, cinnamon, 4 g of salt, and the black pepper. Return the eggplant to the skillet and simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 20 ml of lemon juice at the end.
Prepare the polenta
When the ragù starts to simmer, bring 900 ml of water and the remaining 3 g of salt to a boil in a saucepan. Slowly pour in the polenta, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the polenta thickens and softens. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 15 ml of olive oil.
Finish and serve
Stir the chopped parsley into the ragù. Taste it; the tomato sauce should be full-flavored, salty, and bright with lemon. If it is too thick, stir in 30 ml of hot water. Divide the polenta among four plates and serve the ragù on top.
