Experimental Recipes :: Polenta Pizza

While I believe I followed this recipe correctly and the finished product was quite delectable, the consistency of the polenta was wrong. It was good in thickness, yet the polenta never cooked into a proper crust. My husband, the cook, suggested baking the polenta crust before adding the marinara and toppings. I have not re-made this yet, but I will update my findings when I give it another go.

Sometimes recipes turn out great, other times they may need more tweaking, which is why this is called Experimental Recipes!

Do you have a good suggestion on how to improve this recipe? Do you know a trick about making home-made polenta?

Polenta - {This recipe comes from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything}

1/2 Cup milk, preferably whole (I used 2%, so this may be my problem)
Salt
1 Cup coarse cornmeal
1 Tablespoon butter or extra virgin olive oil
Ground Pepper

(I also added from Basil from the Gourmet Garden product line)

Combine the milk with 2 cups water and a large pinch of salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring almost to a boil, then steadily add the cornmeal, while whisking to prevent lumps. Turn the heat to low and simmer until thick (still whisking) or for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the butter/oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. I added the fresh basil in this step.

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At this point, you can eat the polenta straight from the pan. Which I did, and it was fantastic. You could also bake it. I poured it into my torte dish to prep for my pizza.

For the pizza, I covered the top of the polenta with my favorite marinara sauce. Then, I topped it with sausage, fresh onions and peppers, and cherub tomatoes. I also added Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

I baked the pizza on 350 degrees until the cheese and veggies were done. While the outside edge of the polenta was "set", the remainder of the polenta tended to be a little mushy. My family loved this dish. They loved the flavor, and despite the texture, the pizza was devoured.

Again, the next time I make this, I'm going to pre-bake the crust. I'm thinking an extra 10 to 15 minutes will do. Let me know how this recipe works for you!