Gluten-free, homemade pizza
Yes, I am still very much alive. I’ve just become rather busy with work in Silicon Valley after moving back to the US from London. Apologies for just disappearing like that!
Onward: I’ve recently become very interested in gluten-free foods. I stopped eating flour and sugar for Lent – not for religious reasons, but in an “as good a time as any” attitude for a short-term goal. I lost about five kilos in forty days, making no other changes to my diet.
I kept going after Lent with my flour and sugar moratorium, finally falling off the wagon while sick last week. But I’m definitely interested in pursuing a more gluten-free diet, and eating as little sugar as possible.
This weekend, I picked up a pack of two frozen, gluten-free pizza crusts from Whole Foods in New York (where I now have a second home). I hadn’t had pizza in months, or made one in probably years. I covered this one right to the edge with a good, chunky, shop-bought pasta sauce, sprinkled freshly shredded mozzarella cheese on top, and added sliced mushrooms (purchased from the Union Square farmers’ market) and pepperoni slices.
Since I had been walking around the city for some five hours with the frozen pizza cases, I was ready to bake one as soon as I got home. These only take ten to twenty minutes to cook through, depending on how done you like your crust. I don’t like mine crispy or dark brown, so took this one out after only 15 minutes.
It was great. The crust tasted wonderful – I would never have guessed it was a special kind of product devoid of flour – and was very filling. The base was also so neutrally flavored, with no herbs or spices, that I imagine you could use it for sweet toppings as well as savoury. Some Nutella and crushed, toasted hazelnuts, maybe, or crumbled goats cheese and preserved figs. I’m definitely going to try topping it with Italian cheese, rosemary, and caramelised shallots and serving it sliced as flatbread.
Up next: Gluten-free pasta.