Polenta with Red Sauce

Ingredients

polenta
4 tablespoons Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons California Olive Ranch® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
7 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons Bourbon Barrel Foods® Smoked Salt
1/2 teaspoon Bourbon Barrel Foods® Smoked Pepper
1 1/2 cups Quaker® Yellow Corn Meal
3 ounces (1 1/2 cups) Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1/4 cup half-and-half
red sauce
1 (28oz) can Muir Glen® Whole Peeled Tomatoes
1/2 cup California Olive Ranch® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and halved through root end
2 (15-ounce) cans Muir Glen® Tomato Sauce
2 ounce (1 cup) Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
3 tablespoons C&H® Granulated Sugar
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal® Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

polenta
Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until butter is melted. Add garlic and cook until lightly golden, about 4 minutes. ­Discard garlic.

Add water, salt, and pepper to the butter mixture. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Add cornmeal in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, whisking frequently and scraping sides and bottom of pot, until mixture is thick and cornmeal is tender, about 20 minutes.

Off heat, whisk in Pecorino and half-and-half. Transfer to the prepared pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 3 hours.

red sauce
Process tomatoes and their juice in a blender until smooth, about 30 seconds. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add onion, cut side down, and cook without moving until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Pecorino, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and remaining oil. Bring mixture to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, discard onion, cover, and keep warm.

bake and serve
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375℉. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then grease parchment. Cut chilled polenta into 6 equal pieces (about 4 by 2 2/3 inches each). Place on a prepared sheet and bake until heated through and beginning to brown on the bottom, about 30 minutes.

Serve each portion covered with about 1 cup red sauce.

Notes

• We (Cook's Country) developed this recipe using Quaker Yellow Corn Meal for its desirable texture and relatively short cooking time. We recommend you use the same product for this recipe.
• Plan Ahead: The polenta needs to be cooled for at least 3 hours before being cut, baked, and served. I make the polenta in the morning and refrigerate it all day.
• I also freeze any leftover polenta bricks before baking and reheat them and the extra sauce. After the polenta bricks thaw just bake them using the directions above.

I DO NOT get any compensation, free stuff or acknowledgment for mentioning, using or linking to any specific products mentioned. They are for my reference only. Any product or ingredient in the recipe can be substituted with what you have available, a regional favorite or what you find delicious.

Credits
- Original URL: https://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/8774-fluffy-baked-polenta-with-red-sauce
- Original published date: Recipe developed for the April / May 2016 Cook's Country issue