It’s about this time of year, when cool stormy days start to fade and warm (even hot) sunny afternoons take over, that I start fantasizing about tomato season. That longing for great tomatoes is even worse this year, as cooking and eating are some of the few normal things most of us have been able to do during the pandemic, and counting down the days to a tomato sandwich seems like a good enough way to pass the time.
Until then, I’ve been fulfilling that craving with always-sort-of-ripe cherry and grape tomatoes, which really shine when quickly cooked in a hot skillet in plenty of olive oil and with plenty more garlic. These blistered tomatoes make a great pasta sauce or topping for grilled pork, but this week, I’ve been eating them on comforting polenta.
For this dish, I prefer to use sliced precooked polenta, which you can sear in oil for textural contrast; however, you can absolutely use instant or quick-cooking polenta if that’s what your store is carrying on the day you go shopping. If searing, just be sure to pat the polenta very dry before it hits the pan and use just enough oil to coat the skillet — these steps will help to prevent popping and splattering.
Polenta and tomatoes is close but not totally a meal in my book, so I like to top the dish with a handful of baby arugula (or kale, or any fresh herb you’ve got) and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Both will mingle into the tomatoes to create a warm, lively salad atop the sweet polenta. Need a little more heft? Throw on sunny side-up eggs, one per person, to the platter, and maybe just forget that fat, sandwich-ready tomatoes are still weeks away.
Polenta with Cherry Tomatoes
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