Fresh Corn Grits with Oil-Poached Tomatoes

Fresh Corn Grits with Oil-Poached Tomatoes

Some people remove the skins from the tomatoes once they cool — I happen to like them and think it gives the dish a rustic quality. Once you eat every last one of the tomatoes, you’ll have pan of herbed, tomatoey olive oil left: don’t toss it! We’ve been using it in salad dressings, as a bread dip, or to drizzle over morning eggs.

Adapted from: Food and Wine

Ingredients

For the tomatoes:

1 ¼ pound roma or plum tomatoes (about 6) halved, cored
1 head of garlic, cloves separated
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the fresh corn grits:

6 large ears of corn, shucked & coarsely grated on a box grater (about 2 1/4 cups kernels & juice)
½ cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
flaky salt (like Maldon), to top (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 300 F. Lay tomatoes, garlic, rosemary and salt in a heavy-bottomed baking dish. Pour olive over the tomatoes evenly and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft and skin is beginning to shrivel. Discard herbs and allow to cool slightly.

Make the polenta: In a saucepan, simmer the corn and juices with the milk over medium heat, stirring until thick, about 6-8 minutes. Add the salt and pepper; fold in chives, butter (if using) and Parmesan cheese.

To serve: Scoop the warm polenta into a small serving dish and spoon the soft, warm tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with a little flaky salt, if desired. Serve immediately. Save the herbed olive-oil to use in other recipes (salad dressings, drizzle over eggs or dip for crusty bread).