Aaaaaaah cheese

Seriously, is there anything better than cheese? This is a rhetorical question. Of course there isn't! As author, Avery Aames once wrote: "“Life is great. Cheese makes it better.”  (And you have to listen to Ms. Aames, because she wrote books called 'A Long Quiche Goodbye' and 'Lost and Fondue'. She is clearly a genius.) And when, to your cheese, you add some soft, gooey polenta, fresh chard and juicy little cherry tomatoes, that's a serious meal, right there.

I have but one complaint - one of the reasons I gave this recipe a whirl is that it is in a book called One Pot of the Day from Williams Sonoma. I am a huge fan of the one pot. Less work, less dishing up, less washing up. It's a win win win. However, technically this is not a one-pot dish. It's a slow cooker and a skillet dish. Still, it is definitely going to become a regular around here, if only for the wonderful marriage of a few of our favorite ingredients. Did I mention how much we love cheese?!

Polenta with Cheese, Garlic and Chard
Serves 6

6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups stone-ground polenta
salt and ground black pepper
1 bunch Swiss Chard (I used red chard)
2 TBSP olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
7oz fontina cheese, cut into small cubes
3 TBSP toasted pine nuts

1. In a slow cooker, stir together the broth, polenta, 1 tsp salt and several grindings of black pepper. Cover and cook on low for 3-3.5 hours, stirring two or three times if possible. By this point, the polenta should be thick and soft and no longer gritty.
2. About 20 minutes before the polenta is ready, removed the stems from the chard leaves and chop them cross-wise into small pieces like you would celery. Cut the leaves into fine strips also, but keep them separate from the stems.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and then add the chard stems and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they are starting to soften. Add the garlic, tomatoes and chard leaves and season well with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook until the leaves are wilted and tender (about 4-5 minutes more).
4. About five minutes before the polenta is ready, stir in the parmesan and then sprinkle the fontina cubes over the top of the polenta. Recover, and then when the five minutes is up, open again and stir in the melted fontina. Serve the chard mixture over the polenta and garnish with pine nuts.