Pizza Polenta Porridge

Once upon a time, I didn't know how to use cornmeal. I'd never heard of polenta, corn meal mush, and I thought porridge sounded strange. (It seemed difficult to have porridge at the perfect temperature--according to Goldilocks at least!)

Those days have passed. I enjoy a nice bowl of porridge. And I've found cornmeal to be such an interesting ingredient! I must say, however, that I can totally relate to Goldilocks' temperature difficulties. It can be hot. And suddenly cold. And sometimes both at the same time.

A friend of mine went on a mission trip to Africa. When she came back, of course I was curious about what they served her. She said one of the things they had all the time was something called sawdsa (I doubt that's how they would spell it). After checking into it, she found out that it's basically cornmeal mush, for which a recipe is sometimes found on the back of a cornmeal container.

So we made some and attempted using it like spoons as her African friends had done. It wasn't the easiest, since we were eating soup...but it was a fun challenge (perhaps like using chopsticks for the first time).

That was last summer, and I feel like I've come a long way since then. I've experimented with cornmeal a bit more now. I even have been known to add it to my oatmeal, especially when I'm making it savory.

I've tried pizza oatmeal before. I've gotta say, it wasn't my favorite. However, I'm sure I could mess with the ratios/ingredients some more and improve it.

But after making this breakfast (or any meal) pizza bowl, I'm not sure I need to keep trying with the oatmeal bit.

Oooo, the spoon is glowing!

Because this will satisfy any pizza porridge cravings I will be having in the future!

Pizza Polenta Porridge

Ingredients for one serving:
3/4 c. of milk/chicken broth/water (I used milk & water)
3 tbs cornmeal
1 tbs parmesan cheese
1/4 c. marinara/pasta/pizza sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 fresh chopped basil leaf
1/4 tsp salt (if not using chicken broth)
pinches of ground thyme, sage, and oregano (use the ones you like)

optional: precooked pepperonis or italian sausage, mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Warm liquid in small saucepan at medium/high heat. Slowly stir in cornmeal. Continue to stir until thickened (lower stove temp if steaming/popping too much). Once thickened, add spices then parmesan and any add-in meat. Pour into bowl and immediately mix with sauce (this is not shown in the picture, but I recommend it mixed in). Eat while very warm, as it will firm up if left to cool. If this happens, 5-10 seconds in the microwave will make it porridge-like again. Enjoy!