BAKED POLENTA WITH A TOMATO SAUCE

Baked Polenta With a Tomato Sauce image

Provided by Shuzbud

Time 2h40m

Yield 4-6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 12

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3 cups water
1 cup quick-cook polenta (yellow cornmeal)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes (14oz=400g)
10 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or mozzarella)
plastic wrap (saran wrap or cling film)

Steps:

Heat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.
Pour 3 cups of cold water into a saucepan and turn the heat up to high.
Add 1 cup polenta/ cornmeal gradually, stirring until it is all mixed in.
Stir in the paprika and nutmeg.
Heat until boiling, then simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. NB: The polenta may spit if not stirred so be careful!
When the polenta has thickened at the end of the 2 minutes, remove from the heat. Line a loaf pan with cling film/ saran wrap and pour the polenta in
Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 2 hours until solid.
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet and cook the onion and garlic, stirring, for 3 minutes until soft.
Add the chopped tomatoes and fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste then simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, turn the polenta onto a chopping board and remove the cling film. Cut it into about 18 squares. Slices can also be used if they fit your baking tray better.
Pour a third of the tomato sauce into a baking tray, top with half the polenta squares. Repeat the layers ending with sauce (alternatively I use a large shallow baking tray so I use a single layer of polenta squares with tomato sauce underneath and poured over the top).
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle the cheese over the top and return to the oven for 5 minutes until the cheese has melted.