Mushroom Polenta Pizza

This is not exactly a pizza as we would normally think of a pizza, as the "crust" is made up of a soft polenta base. Nonetheless, it does rather look like a pizza and it even rather tastes like one too. The texture of the soft polenta crust is a welcome treat and the rich and earthy herbed mushrooms could not fail to please fungus aficionados.

Mushroom Polenta Pizza

Recipe by Lisa Turner
Published on February 9, 2013

Rich and earthy herbed mushrooms on a soft creamy polenta "pizza" crust

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups fresh mixed wild mushrooms, cut into thick slices
1 clove garlic, crushed or minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried tarragon
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon truffle oil
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
2 1/4 cups vegetable stock
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
4 oz (115 g) Fontina cheese, cut into thin slices

Instructions:

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add half of the mushrooms and fry, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are softened and begin to brown. Transfer to a bowl, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and toss in the rest of the mushrooms, stirring and cooking as before. Return the other half of the cooked mushrooms to the pan, stir in the garlic, tarragon, thyme, oregano, truffle oil and sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Transfer back to the bowl and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until the polenta thickens up and is still somewhat runny but begins to separate from the sides of the pot. This should take about 5 to 8 minutes. Add more stock or water if necessary. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, butter, rosemary and about half of the parsley. Add more sea salt and black pepper as needed and stir well to combine.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the broiler.
Spread the polenta over the prepared baking sheet into a 10-inch oblong or round shape (about 3/4-inch thick). Top with slices of Fontina cheese and broil until the cheese begins to bubble and brown. Remove from the oven and spread the mushrooms evenly over the cheese and polenta. Return to the broiler and bake for another few minutes. Serve hot and garnish with the remaining parsley.

Makes 4 servings