Cauliflower Pizza Base (No Flour)
A pizza base made from grated cauliflower bound with egg and mozzarella, baked before it is topped. Squeezing the water out is the entire recipe. Serves three.
Servings: 3
Calories: 611kcal
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower
- 1 egg the binder
- 400 g mozzarella, grated half in the base, half on top
- A pinch of salt salt draws water out, which is what you want here
- ½ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup ham, diced
- 1 cup chicken, shredded
- ¼ cup bell pepper, cut into thin julienne pimentón: the fresh vegetable, not paprika powder
- 1 tablespoon ground oregano
Instructions
- To make the base, break the cauliflower into florets and grate them, with a grater or a food processor, until they look like grains of rice. Cook them briefly, in the microwave or in a dry pan, so they release their water.
- Drain them thoroughly and then squeeze the cauliflower in a clean cloth until no more water comes out. Add the salt, the egg and half the mozzarella and mix into a dough.
- Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Spread the mixture on a baking tray and shape it into a flat round.
- Bake for 20 minutes to set the base.
- Take it out and add the toppings: the tomato paste, the rest of the mozzarella, the ham, the chicken, the bell pepper and the oregano.
- Bake for seven minutes more, to finish and to melt the cheese.
- Serve hot, while the cheese still stretches.
Notes
Everything depends on how dry you get the cauliflower. It is around 92 per cent water, and a base made from cauliflower that has only been drained in a sieve will not hold together: it bakes into a wet, floppy disc that cannot be picked up. Cook it briefly, let it cool enough to handle, then wrap it in a clean tea towel and wring it out hard. You should be surprised by how much comes out. The base is baked on its own before the toppings go on, which is the other structural decision: topping raw cauliflower dough gives you a soggy middle every time.
Nutrition
Calories: 611kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 205mg | Sodium: 1556mg | Potassium: 1292mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 2083IU | Vitamin C: 118mg | Calcium: 773mg | Iron: 4mg