Polenta Pizza

Why not combine two traditional Italian dishes and make polenta pizza!? You don’t even have to knead a dough! On top of that, this pizza is gluten free, so juicy, and can be enjoyed hot or cold. Unlike regular pizza crust, this one doesn’t change it’s texture. So, ….. should you have any leftovers, they will taste as wonderful the next day. This recipe happened when I realized that I didn’t have any yeast in the house to make a pizza dough, but my mind was already set on pizza. Well, you have to be creative, right! We loved it so much that it became a thing, and I made it several times since.

You will need:

• 2 recipes of The Cheese Lover cashew sauce and a high speed blender to make them  or  store-bought vegan cheese to top the pizza (I can’t vouch for that version though!)

Ingredients:

For the polenta crust:

• 2 cups (300 g) polenta corn grits
• 6 cups filtered water
• 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• extra virgin olive oil for baking sheet and skillet

For the pizza sauce:

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium size sweet onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.8 lb (800 g) Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2-3 hot peppers, halved, cored with seeds removed, and sliced
• 2 Tbsp veggie broth concentrate (or salt or store-bought broth concentrate to taste)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp maple syrup

For the toppings:

• 2 recipes of the cheese lover cashew cream sauce
• about 10 oz (280 g) veggies like sliced mushrooms, quartered and sliced bell pepper, halved and sliced sweet onion, pitted kalamata olives
• some more dried oregano
• fresh basil, chopped (add after pizza comes out of the oven)

Preparation:

Your cashew cheese sauce should already be made.

For the polenta crust, bring water and salt to a boil in a large pot or sauce pan. Slowly stir in polenta. Reduce heat and simmer for about 25 – 30 minutes while stirring frequently. Be very careful, because it bubbles! The polenta should be quite thick. Oil a rimmed baking sheet and spread the polenta mixture evenly on it. The layer should be about 1/2 – 3/4 inch (~ 2 cm) thick. Set aside and let cool down.

Meanwhile, prepare the veggies for the pizza sauce and line up ingredients. Preheat a large saucepan on medium, add olive oil and onion. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes, then add garlic and a minute later tomatoes. Cook for about 10 more minutes, then add remaining ingredients. Cook for another 15 – 20 minutes until you have a rather thick sauce. Set aside and let cool down a bit.

Prepare veggies for toppings and preheat oven to 425°F ( 220°C).

Preheat a large skillet on medium heat. Cut the polenta into 4-5 inch rectangles or squares. They should be manageable with a spatula. Keep the baking sheet close by the skillet. Add sufficient olive oil to the skillet, and add as many rectangles or squares as  you can fit. Fry each side for about 5-6 minutes until golden brown. Return each piece of fried polenta to its original place on the baking sheet (I always have to cheat a little bit, but as long as you make it fit it’s ok). Repeat this process until all the polenta is fried.

First, spread the pizza sauce on the polenta, then the cheese sauce (or vegan cheese, if you prefer the shortcut). I also added some more dried oregano, but that’s your choice. Arrange your toppings on the pizza (not the basil though!!!!). Bake for 15-20 minutes until veggies have the right color and the smell of wonderful homemade pizza lured everyone into your kitchen. Top with chopped basil and enjoy!

Notes:

• This polenta pizza is perfect to bring to a picnic, because it’s fantastic even cold.
• Of course you can take another shortcut by using store-bought pizza sauce. I never used it, so can’t vouch for the results.
• Last time I made this polenta pizza, I used one recipe Cheese Lover Sauce and one Spicy Mexican. I really couldn’t make up my mind which one I loved more. Both versions taste fantastic!