Baked Polenta with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes and Cheese

I ended up with a good amount of leftover polenta from this divine dinner. After it sat in the fridge for a few days, inspiration struck and I set about breathing new life into the cold mass of gruel using a few ingredients I had in the freezer and fridge.

I got out a baking dish, greased it, turned the polenta out into it and patted it down into a single layer.

Then I topped it with a bag of the amazingly tasty garden tomatoes I had roasted with garlic and herbs at the end of the summer.

I put the little bit of kale, mushrooms and bacon that was leftover on top of that, crumbled some goat cheese over it and topped it with grated Parmesan.

Into the oven to bake. Out it came all bubbling and browned and savory and delicious.

It was just as good as the original meal had been but with about one quarter as much effort. There is nothing quite as satisfying as turning leftovers into something people will fight over...

As with almost everything I post, you should feel free to play with this recipe. Add sauteed onions, spinach, sausage, grilled eggplant, pesto, mushrooms, bacon -- whatever appeals to you. For example, I used goat cheese because that is what I had on hand (and what needed using up) but you could substitute lots of other cheeses -- mozarella, monterey jack, cheddar, bleu cheese, etc., -- with good results, or you can skip the cheese altogether if you prefer.

Also, you very well may not have a freezer full of homegrown tomatoes at your disposal (though I hope you do, for your sake.) But if you have a little time, you can make sauce - this simple tomato sauce with onions and butter from Marcella Hazan is a sure-fire winner. Or, if you happen to work and/or have kids or some other impediment that stops you from devoting your life to cooking, you can always use a jar of whatever tomato sauce you like or buy a jar of sundried tomatoes and use those -- 'twill be delish!

-- print recipe --
Baked Polenta with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes and Cheese
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

* 3 cups of cooked polenta (follow the directions on the package) - if you're in a hurry, you can also buy pre-cooked polenta in "log" form and cut it into slices to lay in the bottom of the pan
* 2 cups of oven roasted tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes or one to one and a half cups of the sauce of your choice (you can use more sauce if you like but keep in mind that too much moisture will keep the polenta from firming up)
* 1 cup of sauteed greens (spinach, kale or chard), liquid removed
* Half a cup of grated Parmesan cheese
* Butter for greasing the baking dish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease your baking dish. Spoon the polenta into the bottom of the dish and smooth or pat it down to a uniform height, filling the bottom of the dish completely.

2. Spread the tomatoes or tomato sauce over the polenta, then layer on the greens and the cheese and top with the grated Parmesan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbling and lightly browned on top. Let cool for a few minutes before serving so you don't burn anyone's tongue!

You might also like:

• Creamy Polenta with Kale and Mushrooms
• Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Gratin
• Swiss Chard and Barley Gratin

For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

Rustic Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic & Herbs

After two months of losing all our tomatoes to the gangs of hungry chipmunks roaming our property, our plants have finally started producing so many ripe 'maters that even the chipmunks can't keep up with the pace and have had to give up their life's work of taking a single bite out of each one just as it nears ripeness. I feel for them, really, I do.

As a result we've been harvesting some big, beautiful juicy red tomatoes and tons of little, yellow-orange sungold cherry tomatoes, too. We've had Excalibur, our food dehydrator, whirring away out on the screened porch turning the tiny golden orbs into tomato candy - these amazing little bites of concentrated sweetness and intensely tomatoey flavor. It's a good project for Will who uses his little doggie knife to cut them in half and then drizzles olive oil over them before they go into the dehydrator.

But I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the really big ones. Luckily, I happened to catch a great demo on tomato preservation by Amy Jackson of Amy's Takeaway at the Woodstock Farm Festival two weeks ago. One of the things she'd brought with her was a huge tray of roasted heirloom tomatoes with herbs. They looked and tasted incredible. So I filed the idea away in my semi-functional memory and dusted it off yesterday when I started worrying that our kitchen counters might collapse under the weight of the most recent tomato harvest.

I ran outside and picked a bunch of basil, oregano and rosemary (thyme would also be great). I included the flowers from my basil and oregano plants since Amy says they add great flavor. Then I cut the tomatoes in half, sliced the garlic and tossed it all together with olive oil, salt and pepper.

I arranged the tomatoes cut-side down on the baking sheets and put them into the oven.

Shortly afterwards the most beautiful smell - a melting marriage of garlic, herbs and tomatoes - began to creep through the house. If you could bottle the essence of Italian cooking, I imagine that this is what it would smell like. Two hours later I opened the oven to find two beautiful trays of roasted tomatoes.

They looked like something you might see on the cover of Saveur...

I let them cool off then split them amongst three quart freezer bags for use this winter. This is by far the easiest way I've ever preserved tomatoes and it is definitely among the tastiest.

-- print recipe --Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic & Herbs

Ingredients

* Tomatoes - as many or as few as you have on hand
* Garlic - base the amounts on how many tomatoes you have
* Olive oil
* Sea salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* Fresh herbs - basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary are all good - you can mix and match depending on what you like and what you have handy

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 and wash the tomatoes and the herbs (you can leave everything on its stalks). Thinly slice the garlic and toss it into a large mixing bowl along with the olive oil, sea salt, pepper and fresh herbs.

2. Slice the tomatoes in half around the middle (the wide way so you don't go through the stem) and add them to the mixing bowl. Toss them gently to ensure they're coated with the herbs, garlic then turn them out onto the baking sheets and turn the tomatoes cut side down.

3. Bake for two hours then remove and let cool. Use however you see fit - these make a great sauce for pasta just as they are or you can also use them as a base for a sauce or stew. Or freeze them for later.

You might also like:

• Tomato Jam - A Sweet, Spicy Spread 
• Homemade Barbecue Sauce
• Summer In a Jar - Tomato Sauce With Garlic & Basil

For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.