Baked Feta And Tomato Polenta (Make Ahead Casserole) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Tomato filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, minced
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and crushed in hands
fresh ground pepper, generous amount
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried basil
Polenta
1 tablespoon butter, cut into bits
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
2 cups cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Preparation

For filling, heat oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, season with pepper, and cook until the juices thicken and are almost evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the basil, and remove from heat.
For polenta, preheat the oven to 400 degrees (if making right away). Grease a 2-to 2 1/2 quart shallow baking dish.
Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Place the cornmeal in a large bowl and whisk in the cold water. (For lump-free polenta) Continue to whisk while pouring it into the boiling broth. Bring to a boil, whisking almost constantly. Once the polenta begins to boil, reduce heat to medium. Whisk polenta continuously until it begins to tear away from the sides of the pan, about 5 minutes. Whisk in salt, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
Immediately pour half of polenta into baking dish. Quickly spread on the tomato mixture. Crumble the feta evenly over the tomato mixture. Immediately spoon on the remaining polenta, covering entire surface. Sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese. Dot with butter bits.
Let the polenta rest at least 15 minutes, or up to 24 hours. If longer than one hour, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before baking. Bake 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and golden on top. Let polenta sit 10 minutes or so before serving.