Polenta Casserole w/Fontina & Tomato Sauce

I've been interested in polenta lately. I found out that grits were basically the same thing. Coarse corn meal. I love corn but I always associate it with central american food. So the first time I had it, I didn't love it. I don't remember exactly how it was served, but it was a nice piece that set up well. Some polentas can be mushy. Or maybe they don't cook it right. I'm not sure. I know that sometimes they are grilled once they've set up. And the grocery stores sell like a tube of it pre-made. I had to go to our rival grocery store (that has more variety but is also more expensive) to buy it. It carried the same brand that health food stores carry. Red Mills. So I came across this recipe and I decided to give it a shot.

For the tomato sauce, I sauteed carrots, celery, onions (all small diced) and minced garlic (I used frozen garlic cubes) in olive oil. Then you add a can of whole tomatoes and break it up as much as you can. Add chopped parsley (I used curly instead of italian (flat-leaf)) and dried oregano. Bring to simmer and reduce a good amount. At the end, add basil (I used a chiffonade(long, thin strips)) and season.

For the polenta, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta and let it cook until it thickens. Stir a lot especially towards the end when it gets thicker.

In a greased (I used generic olive oil spray) baking dish, layer the sauce, polenta and fontina cheese cheese. Make three layers. I goofed on this step and made two layers instead of three. Oh well. Then ya let it sit at room temperature for about two hours. Finally, you throw it in the oven and let it sit afterwards before serving.

The verdict. As soon as I unpeeled the fontina cheese wrapper, I was upset with myself. I knew I disliked one italian cheese a great deal, but I forgot which one. I absolutely hate the smell of fontina cheese. It disgusts me a great deal. The taste, however, wasn't so bad. It had a little gooey'ness to it. That was the nice part. And so, once you get passed the smell, it's okay. Steve loved it. He loves grits so he was happy with this meal. I was wary of the tomato sauce. It contained that dried oregano & basil combo that I don't love. But I proceeded to prep. I thought maybe because I was using fresh basil that it'd be different or at least not as bad. And even though I could taste the herb combination in the dish, I wasn't displeased by it. With the other ingredients, it was acceptable.

Oh, the casserole didn't set up properly most likely because I goofed on the layering part. It actually called for a different sized baking dish that we didn't have. Anyway, the top part set up nicely, but the bottom was wet. Still, it tasted pretty good. I only had one piece; Steve had two. I was prepared to throw the leftovers out because I couldn't handle the smell. But Steve protested and wants to take some for lunch today. I feel bad for his office mates that have to smell the fontina cheese. All in all, this dish was good. Even though I didn't have a second piece, I really enjoyed the piece I had. I don't think I want to make this dish again. I may, however, make a similar casserole with ingredients I like. I just haven't figured out what those are. By the way, does the word 'casserole' imply that it's baked. In other words, would it be incorrect to say baked casserole?