Farm to Table: Polenta Pizza with Herbed Cashew Ricotta & Summer Veggies

Why is it that you don't really want something until you can't have it?  I guess it's in our nature to want what is forbidden.  In order to curb the mind wandering, I'm going to go ahead and say that I'm talking about food here.  More specifically, glutinous things.  Since developing a gluten intolerance, it seems to have triggered cravings for everything I can't have.  Pizza!  Baguette!  Those not-so-good-for-me-pastries at Starbucks!  It's been a bit rough.  Since I don't really live in a gluten-free friendly town, I can cry about it, or, I can suck it up and make gluten free versions myself.  (I chose the latter in case you were wondering...)

Pizza has been my main craving lately.  I guess there's just something really comforting about being about to top a warm crust with whatever strikes your fancy.  I made a pizza several weeks ago (mentioned in this post and using this crust), and it was okay.  The crust was a bit dense and bready, but it was pretty good for starters.  Since then I've been looking around for dough inspiration and making little notes on post-its (as I tend to do with everything).  Last week I happened to come across a recipe on edible perspective using cooked polenta as a pizza crust.  I forgot to write it down so it got filed in the back of my brain until I saw this pin on pinterest yesterday.  I figured it was worth a shot so I immediately sorted out my plan of attack.

I'm not the biggest fan of tomato sauce on my pizza, so I decided to use a cashew ricotta instead.  To keep with a summery vibe, I added fresh herbs to the ricotta and topped everything off with some lovely veggies from the farmers market.  To be honest, I half thought that the polenta crust would fail.  But, I kind of didn't care if it did because it only meant that I would eat the "polenta pizza" out of a bowl instead.  Well, it didn't fail.  In fact it was a marvelous success that had me exercising restraint not to eat an extra piece.  Oh, and in case you were like hey, but I thought you weren't going to bake anything?!  I made an exception because we had some cloudy weather and rain, meaning the high yesterday was only 80.  Awesome.

Polenta Pizza with Herbed Cashew Ricotta & Summer Veggies
notes: feel free to top the pizza with whatever veggies you prefer.  I used a combination of tomatoes, zucchini, sweet peppers, and chopped spinach.  If you don't remember to pre-soak the cashews, put them in a heat safe bowl right before you make the polenta and cover them with boiling water.  They will be ready when the polenta crust is done.  The pizza will make 3 to 4 servings.     

for the polenta crust
1 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal/grits)
3 cups water
big pinch of salt
1 tbsp olive oil plus more for the pan

for the herbed cashew ricotta
1 cup cashews, soaked at least 2 hours and rinsed*
1/2 cup water
juice of 1/2 a lemon
good pinch of salt
2 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 packed teaspoon fresh lemon thyme or thyme leaves
7 or 8 large basil leaves

for topping the pizza
fresh summer veggies(I used sliced tomatoes, zucchini, sweet peppers, and spinach)
thinly sliced basil (optional)

To make the polenta for the crust, bring the water and salt to a boil.  Add the polenta, whisking as you add it.  Once it has all been added, reduce the heat to a simmer (medium-low) and keep whisking until the water has been absorbed and the polenta is thick and smooth (about 3 to 5 minutes).  The polenta should be quite thick but you should still be able to stir it easily.  Remove the polenta from the heat, then stir in the olive oil.  Grease a baking sheet or a pizza pan generously with olive oil.  Do not line it with parchment or the crust won't form properly.  Spoon all of the polenta onto the pan, then smooth it out to your desired shape, about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick (I chose an oblong round shape).  Once your crust is formed, place the pan in the freezer to set up for no more than 10 minutes.  At this point, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

While the crust is setting up in the freezer, combine all of the ingredients for the ricotta in a blender or food processor and run until smooth and thick.  If you are using a food processor, it may not get completely smooth, but it will be fine.  If the mixture seems too thick, add a bit more water or lemon juice.

When the crust has cooled down and set up, remove it from the freezer.  Spread the cashew ricotta on the crust in an even layer, leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the crust.  Add your veggies of choice, then bake the pizza for 20 to 30 minutes until the crust starts to turn golden at the edges and feels dry to the touch.  Let the pizza cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and eating.  Top with the basil and enjoy!

*the tomatoes and zucchini are from Crawford Farms, the sweet peppers are from Tanksley Farm, and the lemon thyme is from my own garden