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1
Make a simple tomato sauce.
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2
Warm the olive oil with the bay leaf, basil, parsley, onion, and garlic, and cook slowly for 3 to 4 minutes.
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3
Add the tomatoes, raise the heat to medium high, and cook until they are quite soft and broken apart, about 15 minutes.
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4
Pass them through a food mill; then return the sauce to the pan, and simmer until quite thick.
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5
If needed, add a pinch or two of sugar to balance the acidity, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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6
This should make 1 1/2 cups.
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7
While the sauce is cooking, bring 4 1/2 cups water to a boil and add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
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8
Whisk in the cornmeal in a stream so that lumps don't form, and when it has all been added, switch to a wooden spoon, lower the heat, and stir for 15 minutes.
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9
Pour it into a loaf pan or a 9-by-12-inch baking dish, and set it aside to cool.
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10
When it is thoroughly cool and firm, turn it out and slice it into pieces about 1/2 inch thick and about 3 inches long.
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11
If a loaf pan was used, cut the pieces again, diagonally.
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12
Preheat the oven to 400F.
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13
Lightly butter a gratin dish, and spread about 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom.
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14
Arrange the polenta and the slices of Fontina in overlapping layers.
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15
Carefully spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the layers in a decorative way, leaving bands of red sauce between the yellow polenta and cheese.
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16
Crumble Gorgonzola over the top, pepper generously, and bake the gratin, uncovered, for 25 to 35 minutes.
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17
The cheese will melt into the tomato, making a sauce to spoon over the polenta.
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18
Garnish with the fresh herbs.
