Italian Cooking Class: Eggplant Saute, Orzo, Panzanella, Polenta (and Blueberry Crisp)

I have a great class that efficiently works well together. Most of my previous classes get the Italian dinner on the table around 8:45-9 (the last class served close to 9:30, and we have to be out of the facility by 9:45!), but this class was ready to eat around 8:20! We were leisurely able to eat, cleanup, and saunter out by 9:30 or so.

Today they made my recipes of Italian-inspired dishes. I rarely cook with tofu (it bothers my wife's stomach and also can bother mine), but the main course of eggplant saute today did use a herbed tofu. The orzo is served with herbs and lime zest. I showed my students how to make a simple polenta side dish, starting with prepared polenta available in wrapped tubes. The panzanella (bread salad) was great, as it always is - this dish is often chosen as the best that we make in the entire series of six cooking classes. And - the dessert, blueberry crisp (not shown here), is sometimes also chosen as the best dessert, though the chocolate baklava we'll be making in a few weeks usually beats it out, and the orangey rice pudding from next week may garner a few votes.