Recipe for masa crust pizza featuring the Three Sisters. Corn, beans and squash are three of the earliest domesticated crops grown by Native Americans in the Sonoran region. Known as the Three Sisters, each plant supports the other. Corn stalks give beans a place to climb, beans produce nitrogen that feeds the corn and squash, and squash leaves shade the ground to hold moisture. For this recipe, prepared  masa is pressed into a cast iron skillet for the crust. The recipe first appeared in Tucson Lifestyle Magazine and also features in my Taste of Tucson Cookbook. If you have never tried tepary beans, this is an excellent way to start.

What Makes the Masa Crust Pizza Special? 

Masa harina is nixtamalized corn flour. The corn is treated with an alkaline solution before grinding. It is the same masa harina used for corn tortillas and tamales. It is gluten-free, which makes it one of the most accessible pizza crusts you can make at home. The cast iron skillet generates the bottom heat that creates a crispy crust. A regular baking sheet will not achieve the same result.