baked polenta
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups (medium grind) cornmeal
  • fine grain sea salt
  • 4 cups yellow onion, chopped (about 3 medium)
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • 3 cups water or vegetable broth
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (for softer polenta) or 400 degrees F (for more crunch), racks in the middle.
  2. Butter and flour (or line bottom with parchment paper) one 9 x 12-inch baking dish or tart pan - or roughly this size. I used a glass baking dish, buttered and floured, without any problems.
  3. In a medium bowl combine the corn meal with 1½ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir and set aside.
  4. To caramelize the onions, heat a splash of olive oil in a large thick-bottomed skillet with a pinch or two of salt. Cook over high heat, stirring and scraping the pan occasionally - more often as the onions begin to get increasingly brown. Continue cooking until the onions collapse and turn deep brown in color. Remove from skillet and set aside.
  5. Bring 1½ cups water (or broth) to a boil in a medium saucepan, add the water and cornmeal mixture, bring back up to a boil and stir until it is thicker than a heavy frosting - about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and ⅔ of the onions. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it to an even thickness, and drizzle with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the bottom is golden and the cornmeal begins to pull away from the sides of the pan a bit. Serve topped with the remaining onions (and more grated cheese if you like).
Recipe by story of a kitchen at https://www.storyofakitchen.com/vegetable-recipes/baked-polenta/