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Prep time
1 hour
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Cook time
40 minutes
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Serves
4-6
Author Notes
(Adapted from Mark Bittman in the NYT)
This is a delicious alternative to pizza crust because the polenta provides the perfect bed for pizza toppings. That being said, unlike pizza, this is a mandatory knife and fork affair. The polenta definitely firms up but not really enough for you to eat this with your hands. Still, it's delicious. And you'll make your gluten-free friends very happy. —What We Eat Gals
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Ingredients
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3 cups
Water
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1 cup
Coarse cornmeal
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2 tablespoons
Extra virgin olive oil
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Salt and pepper, to taste
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"Pizza" toppings of choice (pictured are roasted mushrooms and fontina; garlicky broccoli raab and mozzarella; torn plum tomatoes, pesto and mozzarella)
Directions
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Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil into a 9"x13" pan and massage it into every nook and cranny.
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Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan with a large pinch of salt. When boiling, reduce heat to medium and whisk in cornmeal/polenta in a steady stream. Turn heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes until polenta is the texture of very thick oatmeal. Pour it into the prepared baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cool and firm, about an hour (or more if you'd like to make this ahead).
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Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Uncover cooled polenta, drizzle over a second tablespoon of olive oil, grind over a generous amount of black pepper and sprinkle over a few additional pinches of salt. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until polenta is browned lightly in places.
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Remove crust, top with "pizza" toppings of choice, and return dish to the oven to heat toppings and melt cheese, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing into generous squares. Enjoy!
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