pretty by the bay

Recently, Corey and I dined at Beretta, a super hip, super delicious restaurant in the Mission. While everything we ate (and drank) was absolutely divine, one particular standout was an appetizer of Baked Polenta with Gorgonzola Cheese. Thick slices of polenta were grilled, then baked with garlicky tomato sauce and a smattering of creamy gorgonzola. I detected a second cheese alongside the gorgonzola; our server never gave me a straight answer on what that cheese was, but guessed it was probably fontina. It was simple and delicious and I knew I had to recreate it at home.

I’m sure Beretta made the polenta the day before and allowed it to firm up before slicing and grilling it. I’m also sure they used homemade sauce. In order to make this dish weeknight friendly, I took two very important shortcuts. I bought premade polenta (ever seen it in those handy little tubes?) and jarred roasted garlic pasta sauce. It doesn’t matter, since those two flavors really play second fiddle to the cheese. You know it’s true.

Gorgonzola and fontina can be expensive,  but you only need an ounce or two to add huge amounts of flavor to this (or any) dish.  I added some pecorino romano since I had some on hand; if you have parmesan sitting in your fridge, that would be equally delicious.

Baked Polenta with Three Cheeses

inspired by Beretta

serves 2 to 4 as a hearty meal or appetizer

1 package (roll) premade polenta, 16 to 18 ounces, or a similar amount of leftover cooked polenta

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 to 1 full jar roasted garlic marinara sauce, warmed

2 tbsp crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1/4 cup shredded fontina cheese

2 tbsp cup finely grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese

Remove the polenta from its package and slice into long rectangles.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced polenta and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

Preheat the broiler to high. As the broiler heats, spray a medium sized baking dish with cooking spray and coat the bottom with a thin layer of sauce. Add the polenta slices and top each slice with a layer of sauce, pecorino, fontina and gorgonzola. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and light brown.