Yotam Ottolenghi's cheesy baked polenta in tomato sauce

Name: Yotam Ottolenghi's cheesy baked polenta in tomato sauce recipe
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 660ml milk; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 20.00 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle; 200g instant polenta; 60g roughly grated parmesan; 60ml olive oil; 2 small onions (360g total), peeled and finely chopped; 6 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tsp chilli flakes; 10g fresh oregano leaves; 2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes, roughly crushed by hand; 1 tsp caster sugar; 200g fontina cheese or buffalo mozzarella, very thinly sliced; 30g finely grated parmesan; 30.00 ml finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves; 1/4 tsp chilli flakes

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P38 Matt Preston's Cheesy baked polenta in tomato sauce

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by Yotam Ottolenghi

Jul 12, 2022

A golden crust and soul-warming sauce makes this versatile bake by Yotam Ottolenghi a satisfying midweek meal.

For the polenta

660ml milk
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
200g instant polenta
60g roughly grated parmesan

For the sauce

1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 small onions (360g total), peeled and finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp chilli flakes
10g fresh oregano leaves
2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes, roughly crushed by hand
1 tsp caster sugar
200g fontina cheese or buffalo mozzarella, very thinly sliced

For the topping

30g finely grated parmesan
1 1/2 tbs finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 tsp chilli flakes

Method

1.

For the polenta, lay a 40cm x 30cm piece of baking paper on a work surface. Place milk, garlic, 1 tbs oil, 1 tsp salt flakes and a grind of pepper in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a bare simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and slowly add polenta, whisking constantly, until completely incorporated with no lumps.
2.

Cook, stirring with a spatula, for 2-3 minutes. When cooked, the mixture should pull away from the side of the pan and be quite thick.
3.

Add parmesan, stirring for another 30 seconds to melt. Remove from the heat and transfer to the baking paper. Use your hands to quickly shape polenta into a large cylindrical shape, about 32cm long. Use the baking paper to help you tighten the cylinder, then gently roll the whole thing in the paper, tightening as you go, twisting in opposite directions at both ends. Chill for at least 1 hour to set.
4.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Add oil to a large, ovenproof cast-iron pan roughly 28cm wide, and heat over medium-high.
5.

Once hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes or until softened and lightly coloured. Stir in the garlic, chilli and oregano, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6.

Add the tomatoes and their juices, sugar, 100ml water, 3/4 tsp salt flakes and a 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 sauce thickens slightly. Set aside.
7.

Preheat oven to 230ºC. Gently unwrap chilled polenta and transfer to a cutting board. Trim about 2-3cm off the ends, and then cut the polenta into 24 x 1cm-thick slices.
8.

Top tomato sauce evenly with sliced fontina, then fan out the polenta slices, overlapping slightly, so that they’re spiralled to cover the top, leaving a 1cm gap from the edge of the pan. Drizzle with extra olive oil and bake for 30-35 minutes until polenta is golden in places and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes to settle.
9.

While the polenta cools, combine all topping ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle a handful of topping over the warm polenta and serve remaining in a bowl alongside.