Chef Wendell: Polenta pizza margarita
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – To prevent chronic disease in your future, focus on eating healthy foods today. Whatever you think of the obsession with all things natural and healthy, one thing is certain: it’s not going away. Pizza is wonderful in moderation, but not too many practice restraint when it comes to a warm, gooey slice.Polenta Pizza Margarita
1 cup coarse ground yellow cornmeal, plus extra to coat pan. 3 cups either almond, hemp, cashew or coconut milk 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or melted butter 1 egg, beaten 1/4 cup grated Parmesan 4 cloves of minced fresh garlic 3 tbsps. tomato sauce 2-3 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese Fresh thinly-sliced summer tomatoes Handfuls of basil leaves Ground flax seeds
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Generously coat a 15 inch pizza pan with oil and sprinkle it lightly with coarsely ground yellow cornmeal. (wax sheets work fine)
Crust:
- Bring milk and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- In a slow steady stream pour in the cup of cornmeal, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
- Cook stirring / whisking until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pan. (20 minutes)
- Whisk till the lumps are gone and add oil and let the polenta cool a few moments then stir in the egg and cheese. Let it cool to the touch.
- Oil your hands and press the polenta into the prepared pizza pan. You want it to be about 1/3-1/2 inch thick all over.
- Brush oil over ‘dough’ and bake for 30 minutes. Remove and keep at air temperature.
Pizza assembly:
- Put the sauce in the center of the polenta and use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly across the surface, stopping approximately 1/2 inch from the edges.
- Next, disperse the finely chopped garlic evenly.
- Spread the mozzarella cheese throughout the top, but keep it thin.
- Place a generous layer of thinly-sliced tomatoes across the entire pizza
- Lightly salt the tomatoes with Himalayn salt
- Generously spread the fresh basil leaves, making sure to cover the tomatoes and on just the cheese itself.
- Cook the pizza in the over for about nine-10 minutes, or until sufficiently crispy and melted to your liking.
- Add a little Parmesan and crushed red pepper.
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