Cauliflower Pizza Crust

A couple of years ago my Facebook news feed was inundated with posts from friends discussing their new life in the world of Paleo.  I was never interested in giving it a real try, I did however, like some of the recipes they brought to my attention.  One in particular was the cauliflower pizza crust.  Finally I decided to give it a try so I went to the wonderful world of the internet to find a recipe to use as my foundation for developing my own.  What I discovered is that every recipe is different but with some basic foundational pieces.  There is the cauliflower, cheese and egg to act as a binding agent, and then some herbs for flavor.  Another thing I discovered is that there was no tried and true way of preparing the cauliflower.  Some recipes boiled and then pressed the cauliflower.  Some steamed and pressed the cauliflower.  Once recipe even microwaves it.  I decided that I would try two preparation methods and compare the two, hopefully coming to a decision about what I believe to be the best method.

Crust:

2 c. cauliflower - riced
4 oz. farmers cheese
1 egg
1/4 c. fresh dill
1/4 c. parsley

Pizza 1 toppings:

Goat cheese
Salmon
Capers
Melted butter w/ minced garlic

Pizza 2 toppings:

Pesto
Tomatoes
Fresh mozzarella

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Using a food processor, rice cauliflower.

A large head of cauliflower will produce approximately 4 cups.  Measure out 2 cups, either steam for approximately 5 minutes or microwave for 8 minutes.  If you choose to steam it, place cooked cauliflower in a clean cheese cloth and squeeze out excess water.

Place cauliflower in bowl and combine with cheese, egg, and herbs.  Do not be afraid of it, get your hands in there and mix well.  I would suggest letting it cool for a bit so you do not cook the egg during the mixing process.

Dump mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and shape into crust.  This amount of mixture will create a crust that is about personal pizza sized. 


Steamed version

Microwave version


Bake crust for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove, add topping, and put back in the over for another 10 minutes (just enough to melt cheese and heat through the toppings).

Both versions held up very well - literally.  I was able to cut them with a pizza cutter and pick it up with my hands.  The slices did not fall apart.  If you eat a section without topping you know you are eating cauliflower but, a section with topping passes for a regular slice of pizza (which is precisely what we want!)  You won't even miss the regular dough.

My only issue was with the microwave version.  To me, it seemed that microwaving the cauliflower reduced the overall amount more than steaming it.  However, both versions came out quite well and provided two servings each.

Breakfast for Dinner

One of the most fun meals we would get growing up was corn pancakes for dinner.  Corn pancakes do not exactly scream circus parade but, there is something inherently fun about flipping the script on dinner.  And, as a kid and adult, there is something deliciously wrong about being allowed to pour maple syrup all over your evening meal.

For corn pancakes, all you do is add a can of corn, end of story.  That simple addition makes a few pancakes much heartier and more appropriate for dinner.  Though, it definitely takes pancakes from carb overload to carb universe. 

The one thing to be mindful of is the moisture content.  Make sure the can is drained completely.  Additions also can change the cooking time.  In this case, the corn makes the cakes a bit thicker and could increase cooking time.  You might be tempted to increase the griddle heat but that means you risk browning the cakes before the middle is cooked through.

Now, on to the good stuff...

Ingredients:

1/2 c. milk + 3 Tbsp
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 egg
1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Combine the milk, butter, and egg.  Beat lightly.  Into a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients.  Add the dry mixture to the milk mixture all at once and stir just enough to dampen flour.  Then add corn.

Add small amounts of milk until the mixture resembles the consistency of heavy cream.  This should be approximately 3 Tbsp of milk.

 



Heat electric griddle to 350F.  This should only take a couple of minutes.  Spoon mixture onto griddle.  They're ready for flipping when bubbles form.  I used a 1/4 c. measure as my spoon.

Use the corner of a spatula to test if the pancakes are cooked through.  Each side should take approximately 3 minutes.  I was able to make 10 pancakes.

Sarmale

Most of you probably already know this, but in case you have not found that blog yet, I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Moldova.  It was one of the best experiences of my life and food definitely played a part in it.  Special occasions meant I would come home from work to find my bunicii gazde (possibly not spelled correctly in Romanian but my intention is for that to translate to host grandmothers) in the kitchen prepping placinta pans.  Their placinta was the best!  Placinta, translated directly, is pie, but in actuality it encompasses much more.  My host family made it mainly as a sweet bread filled with jam.  It could also be made in a way where the dough is much closer to a Philo and has a savory filling.  Each one I tried was amazing but I will always pick my host grandmothers' over all others.

Another dish that I loved and had the chance to learn to make during my training was sarmale.  Sarmale is a cabbage roll, a traditional dish in that area of the world.  Though, each country and region has its own way of making it.  Because making it can be rather time consuming, you only tend to see it on special occasions.  But, just for you all, I have declared today a special occasion.

Ingredients:

2 c. uncooked rice
4 c. boiling water
1/2 c. distilled white vinegar
30 cabbage leaves - about 1 1/2 heads
1 onion - chopped
1/2 c. ground pork
2 carrots - peeled and grated
1 1/2 c. tomato juice
1/2 c. Parsley
1 Tbsp Dill
Salt and pepper
Sour cream for dipping

Directions:

Boil four cups of water and pour over rice.  Let soak for 30 minutes.

In sauce pot, bring water and vinegar to a boil.  Boil cabbage leaves until pliable.  Depending on the how tight the cabbage leaves are wrapped around themselves you might have to boil the cabbage head whole before even being able to remove the leaves.  When I make this recipe, I pull off as many leaves as I can then boil the head for about 5 minutes, take it out and pull off as many leaves as I can, then boil again, repeating until I have enough leaves. Once you have all the leaves you may need to but them back in the water to make them pliable.  It's a process, but the end product makes it worth it.

Combine onions, pork, carrots, herbs, salt, and pepper.  Add rice and mix thoroughly.

Put 2 to 4 Tbsp of filling into each leaf and roll like a tiny burrito.  Rolling the sarmale is something that takes practice, mine still look awful when I do it.  Thankfully looks do not affect taste!

 

 

Place each roll, seam side down, in a Dutch oven.  I like to pour in a thin layer of the tomato juice before layering the sarmale.

Once all are in, pour the rest of the tomato juice over the rolls.

Cover with a layer of cabbage leaves and then cook in an oven preheated to 350F for 1 - 1 1/2 hours.  Serve with a side of sour cream.

If you do not have a Dutch oven do not despair.  You can cook the rolls on the stove top in a regular sauce pot.  Once you have added the tomato juice place the pot on the burner.  Bring the juice to a boil with high heat and then reduce to a simmer.  Cover the rolls with cabbage leaves and then place on the pot lid.  Cook for 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

If you are able to roll the sarmale tight enough you could eat these scrumptious little nuggets with your fingers.

Shrimp and Butternut Squash Risotto

I absolutely love risotto.  It's pretty much a guarantee that if I find it on a restaurant menu I'll order it.  In my opinion, there are very few food items that are better than this creamy dish of rice and whatever else you decide to throw into that sauce pot.  Today's adventure combines shrimp, asparagus, and butternut squash to make this creamy and flavorful one pot dinner.  The butternut squash is the dominant flavor but, the shrimp and asparagus do not have to fight to come through. 

When I wrote one pot, I was serious.  Most risotto recipes I've found have you cooking various parts separately.  I have no patience for that many dishes to wash, therefore the recipe I have put together cooks everything together.  You need to watch your time and the amount of stock you have left so you know when to add different ingredients but, it all comes together in the end.

Ingredients:

1 qt chicken stock
1 lb shrimp
1 c. asparagus - approximately 7 stalks cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lb butternut squash - cubed
1 onion - chopped
1 c. Arborio rice
1/2 c. sauvignon blanc
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 c. parmesan cheese

Oh the glorious directions:

Melt butter over medium heat.  Sauté squash and onions for approximately 8 minutes.

Add rice and garlic, cook for 2 minutes

Add wine and cook until absorbed, approximately 4 minutes.  Add 1/2 c. stock at a time, cooking until absorbed before adding more.  Each round will take approximately 5 to 7 minutes to absorb - it will take longer towards the end.  Also, as the rice cooks and the dish becomes creamier it may become more difficult to tell was the stock is completely absorbed.  Listen for a popping noise.  As the rice fully absorbs the stock and starts to dry out again it will begin to sound like Rice Krispies®.

With approximately 20 minutes left, add the asparagus.

When adding the final 1/2 c. of stock also add the shrimp.  Cook until the stock is absorbed and shrimp are cooked through.

Stir in the parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.

 



Enjoy with your favorite glass of white wine!