Cheesy Polenta with Grilled Sausages and Summer Vegetables

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish.

In the baking dish, stir the water, polenta, cubed butter, and salt together. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in the half of the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes longer, or until the polenta is thick and porridge-like. Turn on the broiler and broil for 1 to 3 minutes, or just until the cheese bubbles and browns.

For charcoal grills, fill a grill chimney with charcoal and light it. When the coals are hot empty the coals into the grill and push them to one side of the grill to make higher heat and lower heat cooking zones. Set the grate in place and cover the grill. Preheat the grate for 5 minutes. For gas grills, heat one burner to high and one to low . Fold a small piece of paper towel to make a 2-inch square, and pour a few tablespoons of oil into a shallow bowl. With tongs, dip the square into the oil, and brush the grates.

Place the sausages on the grill and cook, turning often, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are browned and cooked through Move them on the cooler side of the grill if they brown too quickly but are still raw inside. As soon as they reach the desired temperature, transfer them to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep them warm. Brush the zucchini slices, summer squash slices, and tomato halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the zucchini and summer squash on each side until the slices are tender and there are grill marks on the sides. Grill the tomatoes, with the cut sides down, until they how grill marks and are warm but not falling apart. Use the cool side of the grill to moderate the heat if necessary.

Place a spoonful of polenta on each plate. Top with a sausage, a tomato half, and a few slices of zucchini and summer squash.