Focaccia Style Pizza

In case you haven’t noticed, quite a few of my recipes lately have included Gluten Free Bisquick.  Over the years I’ve often turned to this classic baking mix to whip up a quick coffee cake or a fluffy stack of pancakes.  Last year when Bisquick announced a gluten free variety I was pretty excited.  Although I must admit, I was not too thrilled about paying $6.50 for a one pound box of the gluten free variety but at least I would have my old buddy back on the pantry shelves.  As you can imagine, when it went on sale at my local store, I stocked up on several boxes.  That brings us to the gluten free pizza experiment I executed today after discovering a recipe on the side of the box.  The dough was very easy to prepare.  The pizza - focaccia was remarkably delicious.  Did you notice I had  a bit of trouble calling this a pizza?  You see, the crust in the final product was almost more of a crisp quick bread type crust rather than a chewier, more glutinous doughy type crust that I normally associate with pizza.  Nonetheless the pie was fantastic.  I could easily see myself serving this at a brunch. Maybe I’d make small individual pizzas and add a few paper thin ribbons of prosciutto just as it came out of the oven.  It might even be spectacular with a fried or poached egg on top. I’d definitely serve this to a gathering of foodies, gluten free or otherwise.    

Ingredients for the Crust:

1 & 1/3 cup Gluten Free Bisquick

1/2 cup Water (optionally you could add a few tbs of wine to the water)

1/3 cup Olive Oil

2 Beaten Eggs

Ingredients for the Anchovy Pesto:

1 Clove of Garlic

3 Anchovy Fillets

About 10 basil leaves

Red Pepper Flake to taste

Zest of  1 lemon

2-3 tbs of olive oil

Video Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

For the crust, in a medium bowl, add the eggs, water, olive oil, and GF Bisquick and stir until thoroughly combined.  Spread the mixture into a greased 11-12 inch round pizza or cake pan.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. 

When it comes out of the oven, it’s perfectly normal for the surface to have a few cracks.  At this point top it with your favorite sauce, and whatever cheese or toppings you’d like.  I topped mine with sliced plum tomatoes, provolone cheese, and an anchovy pesto. 

For the pesto I used a mortar and pestle to crush the: garlic, anchovy fillets, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest before stirring in a few tablespoons of olive oil.  This mixture was then spread over the warm crust before topping it off with the cheese and tomato slices.  Then I sprinkled on a little thyme and a drizzle of olive oil before returning the pizza to a 425 degree oven to cook for another 15 minutes.

When the pizza came out of the oven I let it cool down for a few minutes before removing it from the pan.  Right before serving, sprinkle on some ribbons of fresh basil if you'd like .  I'm sure that if you give this recipe a try you'll enjoy it as much as I did.  

Mini Plantain Pizzas ~ Perfect as a Quick Lunch or as an Hors d'oeuvre at Your Next Soiree

Mini Plantain Pizzas

In all honesty this recipe was born out of desperation.  It was nearing lunchtime as I wondered what I might throw together. I looked on as my daughter pulled two slices of leftever pizza from the fridge.  Needless to say, the pizza was not gluten free.  As she began to munch away, I began to feel a bit of envy creeping in.  Alright, so maybe it was full blown jealousy but would I allow myself to wallow in defeat? Certainly not!  Then the idea hit me.  Those starchy plantains that were sitting on the countertop might just make the perfect crusts for my pizza indulgence and ...QUICKLY!  Alas, the Mini Plantain Pizza was born.

Ingredients:

• 1 Plantain (just turning yellow)
• ½ cup of your favorite Marinara Sauce
• 2-3 oz grated Mozzarella
• 2 tbs grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Basil Leaves for garnish

The Video Tutorial:

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel the plantain and slice into about ¼ inch slices.
3. Toss the slices in a bowl with 1 tbs of olive oil. Then placed them onto a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with a nonstick spray and give them a sprinkle of salt. 
4. Bake them at 375 for 5-7 minutes. 
5. When the plantains come out of the oven flip each one over with a spatula then top them with sauce and the two cheeses then return them to the oven for 5-7 minutes.
6. When the Mini Pizzas are done place them onto a plate then garnish with some ribbons of  fresh basil and serve.