Chickpea Pizza Base

Another pizza base!

I love how quickly these can be made and then personalised and the base only has three ingredients, chickpea flour/besan which I always have a box of,water and salt, too easy!

This pizza is topped with passata, chorizo, Parmesan and spring onions.

To make this vegan, just use oil in your pan and select your usual toppings.

Makes 5-6 pizza bases.

Ingredients

275g chickpea flour

750mls water

Pinch of salt

Butter and or oil

Method

Measure the flour into a large bowl.

Make a well in the centre and slowly whisk the water into the flour to form a very runny batter. Set aside for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, heat your grill or broiler to high.

Take a non stick, oven proof, 22/24cm frying pan and heat over medium to high heat with 10g butter and 10mls oil.

Whisk the batter, season and whisk again.

Once the butter has melted, swirl around the pan and add 200mls of batter.

Swirl the pan and pop back on the heat.

Cook for 3-4 minutes until the surface appears to dry a little.

Now slide the pan under the grill, my pan doesn’t have an oven proof handle so I have it sticking out away from the heat!

Grill for 3-4 minutes until colouring.

Now you can choose to top the pizza and grill again to melt your toppings or as I do, make all the bases and then bake them in a 210 degree Centigrade oven until the toppings have melted, less than a minute for the pizza in the picture.

Gluten Free Pizza Bases

Over the years I have tried out a few gluten free pizza base recipes but nothing ever seemed to work particularly well so I just avoided pizza after a while.

Now that my youngest has coeliacs too I really needed to get pizza back on the menu and this is the best base according to him! More of a deep pan pizza than thin crust,  it freezes well and we find it best to let it cool a bit before eating to avoid it snapping in the middle of the slice of you are using your hands or you could just use cutlery!

Please excuse the overload of toppings, the boys get to make their own pizzas and and meat features heavily!

Makes two 25cm pizza bases.

Ingredients

150g ground almonds or almond meal

100g chickpea flour

40g LSA, ground linseed, sunflower and almond

2&1/2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder

280g plain Greek yogurt

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade and place a roasting tin on the bottom shelf. Boil a full kettle of water.

Line two pizza trays with baking parchment.

Take two bowls and place the egg yolks in one and the whites in another.

To the yolks add the almonds, LSA, chickpea flour, baking powder and yogurt, beat until you have a creamy consistency.

Whisk the egg whites and salt until forming stiff peaks, gently fold one third of the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Add the remaining egg white, folding in gently.

Pour the batter onto the prepared tins, spreading with the back of a spoon to form the pizza discs.

Take the kettle and fill the roasting tin half way with boiling water.

Place the pizzas in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and coloured.

Top the pizzas and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until the toppings are cooked.

Sweetcorn and Black Bean Fritters With Hot And Cold Smoked Salmon

I love the combination of sweetcorn and black beans!

You can make these fritters any size you like but don’t go over 7-8cms as they get tricky to turn! Little mini ones are great for party food or nibbles night.

As lovely as they are with smoked fish they are also great topped with poached eggs or sautéed mushrooms for a vegetarian option.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

500g fresh sweetcorn, around 4 large cobs

400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed

50g chickpea flour (besan)

150g Parmesan, grated

2 tablespoons fresh dill

5 eggs

150mls sour cream

30g horseradish, from a jar

2 avocados, sliced

200g cold smoked salmon

300g hot smoked salmon

salt and pepper

oil to fry

Method

In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, sweetcorn, beans, chickpea flour, Parmesan, dill, salt and pepper.

In another large bowl, whip the egg whites until forming stiff peaks.

Gently fold the egg whites into the sweetcorn mix.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with enough oil to cover the base.

Spoon the fritter mix onto the pan, whatever size you want but not too big as they will be too hard to flip.

Using the side of the spoon gently even out the top and allow to cook until golden, flip and cook through.

Repeat with the remaining batter.

Combine the sour cream and horseradish in a small bowl.

Top each fritter with a little sour cream, avocado and some salmon.

Cheesie Butteries

I lived in Aberdeen in the north east of Scotland for 6 years on and off and discovered the delights of Butteries, otherwise known as Aberdeen Butteries and Rowies, very quickly!

These were a breakfast treat and hard to find anywhere else in Scotland at the time.

Unfortunatley, being coeliac, Butteries had to leave my life for a while but I think, with this  gluten free option I’m as close as I will get to them!

Think a cross between a scone and buttery pastry with a little added cheese and you have this cheesie delight!

Makes 12

Ingredients

150g glutinous rice flour

75g chickpea/ besan flour

1 tablespoon gluten free baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

75g butter, cubed small

200g Cheddar cheese grated

175-200ml milk

A little extra rice flour to dust with

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, chickpea flour, salt and baking powder.

Add the butter and rub in until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.

Mix in the grated cheese and make a well in the centre.

Add 175mls of milk, and gently bring together to form a dough. If it is still crumbly, add  more milk.

Flour your work surface with rice flour and flatten the dough with floured hands until its around 2cm thick. Cut out rounds and repeat, re forming the dough as you go.

Bake in the pre heated oven for 7-10 mins until golden.

Eat as soon as they are cool enough!

 

 

Chickpea Dosa

These are a brilliant alternative to nan, paratha or chapatti, gluten free, spiced chickpea pancakes that everyone enjoys.

I regularly make a batch when I have some sag aloo on the stove, served with some yogurt, I don’t think food gets much better! I happily eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

I have a particularly good non stick pan that I use for all my dosa and crepe recipes, if you find the dosa are sticking, grease your pan with a little ghee or butter between each dosa.

Makes 20 dosa

Ingredients

250g besan, chickpea flour

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

500mls water

salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

In a large bowl, weigh out the chickpea flour, chilli, cumin, salt and pepper, whisk to aerate.

Make a well in the centre and add a little water, whisk gently, bringing the flour in from the sides, continue adding water and whisking well in.

Set aside for 30mins.

Heat a small non stick frying pan over a medium high heat.

Pour a small amount of batter into the pan and swirl around, as if making a crepe.

Once the surface is drying out and the edges are darkening, loosen with a fish slice and flip over, cook the other side just until speckles appear.

Set aside in a clean tea towel and continue with the remaining batter.

 

Sweet Potato and Feta Fritters – Gluten Free

These are lovely versatile fritters that I like to serve with sliced avocado and a poached egg for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

If I have the oven on for a roast or something similar I pop a couple of sweet potatoes and beetroot in to bake at the same time in their skins. A 650-700g sweet potato will give you around 350-450g cooked potato once the skin is removed.

Ingredients

375g cooked sweet potato

130g chickpea/besan flour

200g feta

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne

a bunch of dill

2 eggs, beaten

90mls full cream milk

Method

Mash the potato lightly with a fork.

Add the chickpea flour, dill, eggs and milk and mix to form a thick batter.

Add the feta, cayenne and freshly ground pepper and combine.

Allow to sit for 30 minutes.

Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

Once hot, spoon the fritter batter into the pan, using the back of the spoon to spread it out a little.

As the base cooks it will become golden, flip the fritter and repeat.

Allow to drain on a piece of kitchen towel roll.

Chickpea Gluten Free Pancakes with Spring Onion

These are really versatile stuffed with favourite savoury fillings and you can have a gluten free breakfast, lunch or dinner in no time.

I have stuffed them with sun dried tomatoes, feta and left over roast chicken today but you can really let your imagination run wild, scrambled eggs,  left over roast vegetables, meatballs and sauce, ham and cheese, tuna and mayo, potato curry, grilled fish, tomato salsa, chunky avocado, really, pretty much anything you can think of!

They freeze well too, pop a layer of baking parchment between each pancake and then wrap and seal them.

Makes 18.

Ingredients

150g gluten free plain flour

70g chickpea/besan flour

2 eggs

600mls milk

4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced finely

salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large bowl, weigh out flours and whisk lightly to combine.

Make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into it.

Slowly, using the whisk begin to combine the eggs, as it thickens, slowly, add the milk, whisking until all combined into a smooth batter.

Add the onions and set aside for 15 mins if you have time.

Heat a heavy based frying pan, I use a small non stick pan, over a medium to low heat.

Add a couple of spoonfuls or a small ladle full of batter to the pan, using the spoon or ladle push the batter all over the base of the pan to form a thin layer.

Once you see the bubbles popping on the top of the crepe, use a fish slice and flip it over.

Cook for a minute or two until beginning to brown.

Set aside on a plate, covered with a tea towel while you cook the rest of the batter.

 

 

Mexican Bean Cakes with Fresh Salsa

Gluten free, wheat free and vegetarian deliciousness!

These truly hit the mark with a wonderful fresh flavour from the coriander and chilli and the squishy ness of the beans.

They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

I love these served with a wedge of lime, lots of fresh salsa and some avocado possibly dressed with lime. The boys eat them broken up in a tortillas with fresh salsa, recipe to follow, and sour cream, sometimes they even add an egg and as they eat with their hands they love these!

Makes 16.

Ingredients

2 x 400g tins of kidney or black beans

1 420g tin creamed corn

2 eggs, beaten

100g fresh coriander, leaves and stalks, rinsed

1 medium carrot, peeled and finely grated

1 small onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1-2 jalapeño chilli, deseeded and chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

150g chickpea/besan flour

2 teaspoons salt

pepper to taste

Method

In a food processor grate the carrot.

Change the blade to the cutting blade and add the coriander, onion, garlic and chilli, process to a rough paste.

Add the beans and pulse, just enough to begin to break them up.

Pour this mix into a large bowl.

Add corn, eggs, cumin, chickpea flour, salt and pepper.

Mix well.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat with enough sunflower oil to cover the base.

Once hot spoon cakes onto the oil, spread them out a little to around 8-10 cm, allow to cook for 3-4 mins until browning.

Flip the cakes over and repeat cooking time.

Set aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain and continue cooking the rest of the bean cakes.

Serve with salsa.

Fresh Salsa

This salsa is so quick to prepare we have it with most Mexican or TexMex meals.

As this was for the boys there is no added chilli, if it was just for the adults I would add 1 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped and 1 avocado, cubed.

6 roma tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

1 shallot, peeled, halved and cut into fine slices

a few stems of coriander, leaves and stems cut roughly.

1 lime, juiced

salt and pepper to taste

Combine the ingredients and serve at room temperature.