This recipe for Maispizza (Corn pizza), comes from Betty Bossi's everyday recipe book, Alltags Rezepte mit Pfiff, page 104. 

Leo.org, my go-to online dictionary for German/English, translates the German phrase 'mit Pfiff' to the English expression 'with a kick'. This book, first published in 1975, may have had that kick forty years ago, but now many of the recipes seem dated and humorous.

But that doesn't make them any less delicious.

Some, like this Maispizza, are nostalgic classics, which can be easily recreated today.

However, some others are strange amalgamations of ingredients with 'foreign' designations, like the Kalifornischer Brätbraten (Californian Meatloaf, pg 70) which is full of forcemeat, corn, pickles, and boiled tounge.

And don't forget the Amerikanische Pilz-Frucht-Schnitten (American Mushroom-Fruit-Slices, pg 26) where you top toast with a warm mushroom, cream, banana, pear, and pineapple mixture.

In other sections dishes are simply called 'exotic', which means you add either banana, pineapple, curry powder, or a maraschino cherry and call it a day. 

There are classics too, many recipes for meat dishes (like my mother-in-law’s pork tenderloin) like stews and gratins, as well as nice sides and desserts.

The cookbook calls itself Gut, preiswert, schnell und unkompliziert (good, affordable, quick and uncomplicated), which it surely is. And which mostly describes the recipe for Beauty-Drink on page 28 (well, maybe minus the 'good'). Mix together 800 ml of milk and 3 teaspoons of rose hip jam. Then start adding lemon juice until the mixture is lightly thickened, but not curdled. Yum.

You can top this pizza with whatever you like. It's also gluten free. 

1 L stock (vegetable, chicken, or beef)

250 g bramata (also sold as: coarse cornmeal, coarse polenta)

5 tbsp tomato puree, or tomato sauce

salt, pepper, and dried or fresh Italian herbs to taste

8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved

small can of black olives

5-6 large mushrooms, sliced

can of sardines

250 g mozzarella

fresh basil to garnish

Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F / gas mark 6

In a large pot bring the stock to a boil, then reduce temperature and stir in the bramata. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom. 

Spread this on the bottom of your pan and let cool for a few minutes. (For a note on pan size, see below)

Once the base is no longer steaming, you can make your pizza. Spread the tomato puree or sauce, sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and dried or fresh Italian herbs (oregano, basil, thyme), then top with the mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, and sardines. Cover with cheese.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbling. Garnish with fresh basil. 

• A note about pan size: I used a bottomless rectangular tart pan (35 cm x 11.5 cm), but you could use other pans and other shapes. The original recipe calls for a round 30 cm form. Generally, your pan should have the capacity for at least 1.5 litres, but any shape will do.

• Bramata is the Italian name for coarse cornmeal. Sometimes this is called coarse polenta. I have not tried this recipe with fine ground cornmeal, but I suppose it would also work.

• The toppings above are just suggestions. Feel free to leave out the sardines or olives, or add other pizza toppings like ham, peppers, or sausage.

• If you like, add some dried chili to the tomato sauce.