Creamy Cheddar Polenta with Pesto and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes - The Simple Life

Life is complicated. It is hectic, and messy, and intricate, and beautiful, and no matter how hard I may try to grasp it I will never be able to fully appreciate just how vast it is.

There are parts of this world I will never know. I will never know what it is like to be a general on the front lines of a battlefield, or a child starving in a third world country. I will never be a firefighter who saves a life (or doesn't), or a parent who loses their child (I hope)... I will only ever know what it is like to be me.

And I may never comprehend what it takes to make space travel possible, or how the world is made up of tiny strings, or how everything in nature is tied to a mathematical pattern that is always consistent and predictable. Those are not my areas of expertise.

There are so many little pieces that make up this world, all fitting together to create the "big picture". When Shakespear said, "the world's a stage...", I think it was a gross understatement. It's more like the world is a giant television screen, and each of us are merely pixels. We're talking way bigger than 1080dpi, here. If you stand too close, you can only see so many dots, and they fill your entire vision, but no matter how far you lean back or how hard you crane your neck, you still can't see the edges of the screen. It's just too large.

In some ways, I think trying to see the big picture is what makes us humans so special. That we can look beyond ourselves, beyond what we know, and reach for something we can't even imagine. Sometimes, though, striving to see the edges of our world will only get us so far before we stop being able to see what's right in front of us.

Life is complex, but it can be very simple, too. I think that within the bigger picture, there are many smaller images. The picture within the big picture. The whole within the parts that make up the whole. I may never be able to know or appreciate what it is like to live in another era, or be another person, but I do have the opportunity to live in the now, and feel what it is like to be me. To experience the things that make up my tiny little piece of the world.

Sometimes I stretch myself too far, or spread myself too thin, searching for the edges to make my life more complete... but maybe I don't need to look so far after all.

I guess all this rambling is just to say, sometimes life is about the little things. The simple pleasures.

Stop to smell the roses, and all that.



That's exactly what this polenta is. Simple. There are few things more comforting than a bowl of creamy, cheesy grits, and topped with fresh summer basil and oven-roasted cherry tomatoes... let's just say, this is exactly what I needed.

I used my Basil and Sunflower Seed Pesto for this dish (you can find that recipe here), but you can use whatever pesto you like. The cheeses, too, can be swapped for whatever varieties your taste-buds desire. Oven-roasted cherry tomatoes are a favorite of mine, but if you want something a little more bright and fresh, a homemade salsa would be the perfect substitute.

This recipe has no rules. So long as it is composed of things you like, and enjoyed with people you love.

Creamy Cheesy Polenta with Basil Pesto and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
Makes 4-5 servings - gluten-free

2-3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
olive oil, for drizzling
2 TBSP butter, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
5 cups water
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups dry polenta (course cornmeal)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated (or other good melting cheese)
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

Pesto, for serving (you can find my Basil and Sunflower Seed Pesto here)

Method
For the oven-roasted tomatoes:
1.    Preheat oven to 375f.
2.    Halve the tomatoes, and place cut-side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, and sprinkle evenly with salt. Feel free to add other seasonings, or fresh herbs like rosemary, if you like.
3.    Bake on the center rack for 30-40 minutes, or until the tomatoes have begun to shrivel up at the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside.
For the polenta:
1.    Place a pot of medium heat and melt 1 TBSP butter. Add the garlic and stir for one minute, or until fragrant.
2.    Add the water, cover, and increase heat to high to bring to a boil. Once boiling, stream in the polenta and stir well. Add the milk, and reduce the heat to low.
3.    Cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently, until the polenta is thickened, and tender when chewed. Turn off the heat, dump in both of the cheeses, and add the second TBSP of butter. Stir until melted and combined.
4.    Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with pesto and oven-roasted tomatoes.
Leftovers can be warmed up and served as-is, OR:
1.    Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking pan, and pour any extra polenta directly into it. This is best done when the polenta is still warm. Press the polenta into an even layer, let cool, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
2.    Once chilled, the polenta will be firm enough to overturn onto a cutting board in one big slab. This can be sliced into squares or rectangles and baked or fried until golden and crispy. Delicious!

Enjoy!