Polenta for as long as I can remember has belonged in the “too hard” bucket. Wait, too hard or just CBF’d? In any case, this bucket contains macaroons, sourdough bread, anything with duck, anything with quail, anything with turkey.*
*must remember to appear competent in all other facets of cooking.
The whole “oh, didn’t you know? you’re coeliac” thing has really thrown a curve ball to my pizza consumption so I’ve taken matters into my own hands and discovered the world of polenta. Scrap any idea of this being an actual pizza and rather shift that mentality to this being a slab of baked polenta and you’re in for a treat. I’ve since made this again and again with different toppings as it’s surprisingly easy and takes less than 15 minutes from start to plate. Major win.
Baked Polenta, Mushroom & Taleggio “Pizza”
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
- Large handful of chopped mushrooms
- Half a red onion, sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 1/2 cups of water
- 1 cup of polenta
- Handful of grated parmesan
- 1 small packet of taleggio cheese – see below
- Few sprigs of thyme
- Salt & pepper
Method
Turn your oven on to 180 then grab yourself a baking tray or large brownie tin and line with baking paper.
Add the mushrooms, red onion and garlic to a pan with a big drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of salt and pepper then leave over a low heat. While that’s on, put the water in a pot and over a high heat, bring to an almost boil then using a whisk to stir through, add the polenta. Whisk thoroughly until the polenta has softened and becomes thick then add 1/2 cup more water, reduce to a really low heat and leave to cook through while stirring for a minute longer. Once it’s thickened up again add a touch of salt and pepper and the parmesan.
Using a spatular evenly spread out the polenta onto your baking tray/tin. You want about a 3cm thickness. Top with the taleggio avoiding the edges to give a “crust” then top evenly with the mushroom mixture and scatter a little more parmesan on top.
Pop in your pre-heated oven for 10 minutes or until the crust is golden and is looking like a pizza. Top with thyme and feel like a gluten-free boss.
Kitchen notes...
Taleggio is a super strong, brie like cheese that once heated, transforms any dish. It also loses it’s intensity so don’t be afraid by how it tastes straight outta the fridge. You’ll likely find it in an Italian deli or good international cheese section but if you’re struggling just use brie or camembert.