Mexican corn pizza

Tam West

Gluten-free pizza always sounded like a crazy idea, but when I thought about polenta and how corn is such a Mexican staple food I got inspired. With a really spicy sauce it’s like a great big juicy corn chip covered in tasty toppings. Getting the base crisp on the bottom makes a big difference. The trick is to bake it on its own in a hot oven until the top goes crispy, and only then turn it upside down to add the sauce and toppings. I prefer pizza without cheese these days since it’s lighter and has a cleaner taste,. Give it a go if you haven’t tried it that way yet. This pizza reheats really well; the corn base gets nice and crunchy at the edges. The bases take a little while to make but they freeze well so you can make a supply to keep handy. This sauce is rich, smoky and quite hot thanks to the canned chipotle chillies (I use the La Morena chipotle in adobo sauce). It makes a great dip for tortilla chips so consider making a bigger batch and keeping some in the fridge.

Polenta base

2 tsp	Vege bouillon powder, Rapunzel brand is good
1 cup	Sweetcorn kernels, frozen (Main)
1 cup	Instant polenta

Ingredients

1 Tbsp	Ground cumin
1 tsp	Ground coriander
2 Tbsp	Canola oil
4 cloves	Garlic, finely chopped
1 medium	Onion, finely chopped
1 can	Tomato puree, or passata, 400g
2 Tbsp	Chipotle peppers
1 tsp	Paprika
2 tsp	Salt
1 tsp	Cider vinegar

Toppings

½ small	Red onions, thinly sliced
1 handful	Olives
2	Spring onions, sliced
1 serving	Jalapeno chilli
1	Green pepper, or red, sweet, thinly sliced
1 serving	Coriander, chopped, to serve

Directions

1. Heat oven to 230C. Bring 1½ cups water to a boil in a heavy pot. Add stock powder and dissolve, then add frozen corn and bring back to a boil. Stir constantly while adding the instant polenta, then turn down heat and keep stirring while cooking for 2 more minutes.
2. Pour out on a board covered in baking paper. Cover with another sheet of baking paper and roll out to about 8mm thick. Remove top sheet of baking paper and sprinkle lightly with dry polenta, then bake for 25 minutes in hot oven until the top is crisp and lightly browned. Remove from oven and flip over so the crispy side becomes the bottom.
3. Make the sauce while the bases crisp in the oven: Add the ground cumin and coriander to a medium-hot pan and toast for 15 seconds until they smell fragrant. Add the oil, garlic and onion and fry for a couple of minutes to soften. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes. When ready to use, add enough hot water to make the sauce pour slowly off a spoon — about quarter cup.
4. Spread bases with sauce, add toppings and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped coriander.