1 c. coarsely ground yellow cornmeal, plus some extra to coat pan
1 c. water plus 2 c. milk or 3 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. melted butter or olive oil, plus additional oil for greasing the baking pan
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a 15 inch deep dish pizza pan with vegetable oil. Sprinkle it lightly with coarsely ground yellow cornmeal.

Bring water, milk and salt to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Pour a cup of cornmeal into the saucepan in a steady stream, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir out the lumps with a fork. Add 2 tablespoons of the melted butter or oil, and let the polenta cool for a few moments. Add the egg and cheese.

Rub your hands with olive oil (to prevent sticking) and press the polenta into the prepared pizza pan. Make sure that it comes up the sides of the pan about 1 1/2 to 2 inches.

Brush the dough with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter or olive oil and bake for 30 minutes. (This baking ensures a crunchy crust.)

The pizza can be prepared ahead of time to this point. To finish it off, add just about any deep dish or pizza filling and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

PIZZA FILLING:

1 lb. Mozzarella, sliced
1 lb. sausage, removed from the casings, crumbled, cooked and drained
1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes, drained and coarsely crushed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tsp. dried oregano, or 5 fresh basil leaves, shredded
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Lay the Mozzarella cheese over the dough shell. Then distribute the sausage (which has been cooked until it is no longer pink) over the cheese. Top with the tomatoes. Sprinkle on the seasonings and Parmesan cheese. Bake. Makes 4 to 6 servings.