Cheesy Baked Polenta in Tomato Sauce

By Yotam Ottolenghi

YIELD 4 servings

TIME 1 1/2 hours, plus chilling

This recipe is quite forgiving in that there’s plenty of wiggle room to play. Use whatever herbs and cheeses you have on
hand, for example, adjust the spice levels as preferred, and opt for fresh tomatoes if they’re in season, or chopped
canned tomatoes instead of whole. You can also veganize the dish entirely by using a nondairy milk and vegan cheese,
adding some nutritional yeast if you like. This hearty main needs nothing more than some lightly cooked greens to eat
alongside.

INGREDIENTS PREPARATION

FOR THE POLENTA: Step 1

2 ¾ cups/660 milliliters whole milk
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 ½ tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper
1 ⅓ cups/200 grams instant polenta
⅔ cup/60 grams roughly grated
Parmesan
FOR THE SAUCE:
Cut out a piece of parchment paper about 16-by-12 inches/40-by-30
centimeters in size and lay onto a clean work surface.
Step 2
Prepare the polenta: Add the milk, garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, 1
teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper to a medium saucepan. Bring
to a bare simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat. Turn
the heat to medium-low and slowly pour in the polenta, whisking
continuously, until completely incorporated and there are no lumps.
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring all the while with a spatula. When
cooked, the mixture should pull away from the sides of the pan and be
quite thick.

¼ cup/60 milliliters olive oil Step 3

2 small yellow onions, peeled and
finely chopped (about 2 1/2 cups/360
grams)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
⅓ packed cup/10 grams fresh
oregano leaves
2 (14-ounce/410-gram) cans (tins)
plum tomatoes, roughly crushed by
hand
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Add the Parmesan, stirring for another 30 seconds to melt. Remove
from the heat and transfer the mixture to the parchment paper. Use
your hands to quickly shape the polenta into a large cylindrical shape,
about 13-inches/32-centimeters long. Use the parchment paper to help
you tighten the cylinder and then gently roll the whole thing in the
paper, tightening as you go, then twisting in opposite directions at both
ends. Refrigerate to set for about 1 hour, or longer if time allows.
Step 4
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Add the olive oil to a large, ovenproof
cast-iron pan that is roughly 11-inches/28-centimeters wide, and heat
over medium-high. Once hot, add the onions and cook, stirring
occasionally, for 6 minutes, or until softened and lightly colored.
7 ounces/200 grams fontina cheese
or buffalo mozzarella, very thinly
sliced
FOR THE TOPPING:
⅓ cup/30 grams finely grated
Parmesan
2 scant tablespoons/5 grams finely
chopped fresh parsley
⅓ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Step 5
Stir in the garlic, red-pepper flakes and oregano, and cook until
fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, sugar, a
scant 1/2 cup/100 milliliters water, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a good grind
of pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Turn the heat down
to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the
sauce has thickened slightly. Set aside until needed.
Step 6
Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/230 degrees Celsius.
Step 7
Gently unwrap the chilled polenta and transfer to a cutting board.
Trim about 1 inch/2 to 3 centimeters off the ends and then cut the
polenta into 24 (1-centimeter-thick) slices.
Step 8
Top the tomato sauce evenly with the sliced fontina, then fan out the
polenta slices, overlapping slightly, so that they’re spiraled to cover the
top, leaving a 1-centimeter gap from the edge of the pan. Drizzle the
polenta with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and bake for 30 to 35
minutes, or until polenta is golden in places and the sauce is bubbling.
Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes to settle.
Step 9
While the polenta cools, in a small bowl combine all the topping
ingredients. Sprinkle a handful of the topping over the polenta and
serve the remaining in a bowl alongside. Serve warm.
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