Parmesan Pancetta Polenta with Caramelized Onions and Vegetables

This is a nice dish for dinner parties and relatively easy to prepare. Caramelizing the onions takes a little while but it is well worth the effort.

Ingredients
8 oz instant polenta
4 C water
1 t salt
5 slices of pancetta
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 medium zucchinis, sliced very thin
2 large sweet onions
6-8 T unsalted butter
1 cup petit diced canned tomatoes, drained of juices
Shaved parmesan for serving

Method
1. Bake or fry the pancetta until it is cooked thoroughly but not too crispy. Chop into small pieces. Set aside.
2. Boil the water and salt. Slowly add the polenta stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the polenta for five minutes. Stir in the pancetta and the parmesan cheese. Immediately transfer the polenta to a square 9X9 baking dish and smooth with a spatula. Set aside until set enough to cut, about 10 minutes.
3. Cut the onions in half lengthwise, then cut into very thin slices. Break apart the slices into individual pieces. Melt 6 T butter in a medium stockpot. Add the onions and reduce heat to medium. Sauté the onions until they turn brown, stirring frequently. This will take quite a while. Watch them carefully to make sure they don’t burn. If the onions begin to stick to the pan add additional butter. It is important to use unsalted butter as the salt in salted butter will cause the onions to sweat, inhibiting caramelization.
4. Slice the zucchinis using a mandolin or the slicing side of a box grater. Add the zucchini and tomato to the caramelized onions and cook until the zucchini is just tender.
5. To serve, Cut the polenta into 9 equal pieces. Warm the polenta in the oven if cold. Place each piece of polenta on a plate and top with some of the warm vegetable mixture. Serve with shaved parmesan.