Melissa said that she first heard this recipe on NPR about 20 years ago during an interview about a new cookbook featuring easy, healthy recipes, but she never found the cookbook. Bossy remembers her making it when she came out for a visit and feeling like it was a revelation. At the time, she didn’t cook with cilantro very much and it was a wonderful combination of super rich tomato and herbs with a creamy and crunchy polenta. She remembers being especially amazed that the tomatoes came from a can; it’s the slow cooking that makes it so delicious. And the longer you cook it, the better.

 

What Melissa likes about it is that you can throw it in the oven and run around panic-cleaning and maybe put on some make-up—but basically you have at least an hour before your guests come that you don’t have to be in the kitchen cooking.

 

It smells great too—your guests (or husband and ungrateful children) are greeted by this wonderful, rich smell of roasting tomatoes.

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Melissa’s roasted tomatoes with cilantro and polenta:

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2 28 oz cans organic, diced tomatoes or 4 14 oz cans

2 cloves of garlic, minced (more if you like garlic, none if like Bootie, you don't!)

1 bunch cilantro (chop most of it and save a little for a garnish)

Salt, pepper

Drizzle of olive oil

 

Dump tomatoes and garlic into a 9X 13 pyrex—spread out a bit; coarsely chop the herbs and spread them out, then push them into the tomatoes. Sprinkle the coarse salt and a few turns of fresh pepper and drizzle with a few tablespoons of good quality olive oil.

Bake at 325-350 for an hour.

 

This serves about six, generously.

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For the polenta:

 

Put all of the following in a saucepan and bring to a boil—simmer for until thickened (10-15 minutes) while whisking:

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2 c. water

2 c. milk

1 and 1/3 c. ground polenta

1 tsp. salt or to taste

 

Then pour into a greased cast-iron pan and cook it in the oven with the tomatoes. It should get a little brown on the top and crispy on the edges. It’s solid in the middle, not liquid—kind of like a softer cornbread. Put a big pat of butter on top or sprinkle the top with cheese for the last 10-15 minutes of baking, if you are not worried about lean muscle tone and cholesterol.