How do the travel bloggers and journalists do it!?! Being constantly on the move, exploring places, soaking in all the experiences, continuously and then writing, posting and sharing it with their team, boss, readers. Hats off to them! They must be amazing planners and program managers. Me?! Not so much. I make plans and lists and schedules but rarely does the checklist wrap up in my original schedule. LOL
Like now. I am setting off on a month long trip across a few countries and couple of continents (now with Brexit, definitely!). Now, I knew this for a couple of months and planned the itinerary and all that fairly in advance. Fifteen days before the departure date, I make the ambitious 2 week, 100 things to wrap up schedule. Obviously, I leave no room for exigencies and you know, life, particularly, in Summer!
So, here I am, sitting at the airport and typing up this post. On the plus side, I have a cool recipe for you, courtesy of my friend. And, I am making the most of my time, you know twiddling my thumbs before my burger arrives productively on the free wifi at the JetBlue terminal {pretty cool!}.
Let me get into the subject then.... Pizza! Whoa! Yes, this one for all the gluten free, marginalised people like me. Quinoa pizza, in particular. My friend told me about it and, I simply could not wait to try it out. For reference, she is the same friend who told me about the Avgolemnon and Cat Cora's recipe.
OK! The pizza is not a real pizza, more like a pancake. But, I spread it out fairly well and managed to get the crisp outer and soft inner. Honestly, it does not have the chewy or stretchy oomph of a wheat crust. But, if you were expecting that with any gluten free substitute, you are going to be always disappointed or living in a world of chemicals.
What I really love about this crust is how clean it is! It's simply all quinoa; no additives, no binders, no nothing. Pure, simple and nutty in flavor! And, if you, like me, tend to avoid stabilizers, gums and other extra stuff, you'll love it!
Quinoa Crust Pizza
1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup water
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
any other seasoning you like (I used dried oregano)
For the topping:
homemade tomato base
mozzarella cheese
slices of beef pastrami
broccoli flowerlets
basil leaves
Soak the quinoa, in enough water to cover, overnight to 24 hours.
Puree it with the half cup of water, salt, baking soda and seasoning to make really smooth batter. You can refrigerate this for at least 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450F.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread olive oil on it generously. Pour the batter in and spread it not more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread it thin for a more Neopolitan touch.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, flip it over gently with a spatula back onto the sheet pan without the parchment paper. Bake for another 5-10 minutes until edges are crispy.
Remove from oven, spread the tomato base and then add the toppings; all except the basil.
Return to oven and bake for 7 minutes. Remove and top with basil. Cut into wedges and serve immediately!
