Food Challenges

Potato Thin Crust Pizza #2

As I’ve said recently, I’m constantly updating recipes. I was inspired by the great potato, thin crust pizza that I’ve had a few times at Zola’s in Kanata. If you’re up in the Ottawa area, Zola’s has a good range of gluten free menu items includinbg fresh pasta made from corn and fresh pizza made from potato dough. I already have a recipe for thin crust pizza, but decided to update it when I created the Potato Popovers. The Potato Popover dough is so easy to work with and so great tasting that I decided to see what else I could make with it. My first alternative was thin crust pizza. The only thing that I have changed is I have added a bit of baking soda. Continue Reading…

Tortilla Style Flatbreads

The longer I spend experimenting in the kitchen, the more some old favourites change. Last week, I began working with a new flour blend and got fantastic results with my unleavened flatbread recipe. The old one is still good, but this one has a more pliable dough that is easier to work with. I’ll let you decide which one you prefer. This one tastes like whole wheat and is very easy to cook. Continue Reading…

Cheese Bowls

2 oz of low sodium cheese, grated

Suggestions: This particular bowl was made from a smoky, low sodium Gouda cheese. Any low sodium cheese will work. Semi soft cheeses are more difficult to work with. Low fat cheeses are not suitable for this dish. (no pun intended Ü)

Heat a griddle or flat pan on medium heat. Place the grated cheese on the flat, heated surface, in a single layer. Allow it to melt and toast slightly on the bottom. When it is cooked, remove it from the pan with a lifter and flip it, quickly, onto an inverted bowl, allowing it to droop over the edges. Pat it into the shape of the bowl. Set aside to cool. Gently slide your finger up under the cheese, when it has cooled, and work the edges until it pops the cheese bowl free of the china bowl.

Invert the cheese bowl onto a plate and fill it with your salad, chilli, stroganoff, stew or salsa. Garnish and serve one bowl per person. These can be made any size. Just use more or less cheese and the appropriate sized bowls.

For variety, you can sprinkle the top of the cooking cheese with finely chopped nuts or herbs.

Unleavened Flatbread

1 1/2 cups gluten free flour*

1/2 cup teff flour

1/2 quinoa flour

2 tsp xantham gum

2 tsp sugar

1tsp salt

2 tsp milk powder**

1 cup warm water

lard

parchment paper

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Make a well in the middle and gradually add the warm water as you stir the dry ingredients. When a ball begins to form, work the dough with your hands, turn out onto a clean counter and knead until a smooth, elastic dough forms. Add a little more GF flour as you knead, if necessary. ( The dough should not be sticky, but it should also not be dry and brittle. ) Place the dough into a plastic bag and seal closed. Refrigerate and allow to rest for 60 minutes.

While the dough rests, prepare the work surfaces. You will need two 10-12 inch square pieces of parchment paper and a rolling pin. If you have a tortilla press, cut two parchment paper discs to line the inside of the plates. Preheat your cooking surface ( frying pan or griddle ).

Remove the dough from the bag, after the 60 minute resting period. On a board or dry surface, roll the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter and cut into 8 equal pieces. Each disc will be about 1/2 an inch thick and about 2 inches wide.

Using a pea sized piece of lard, grease your hands well. Take a disc of dough and begin to pat it flat with your hands, working to keep it round and an even thickness. If you have a tortilla press, place the patty between the two pieces of parchment paper and insert into the tortilla press. Close and flatten with the lever. If it is still not large enough or thin enough, place the patty between the two large sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, working from the inside towards the outer edges, gently roll the dough until it reaches a diameter of approximately 8 inches. ( It will shrink a little as it cooks. ) Carefully remove the top piece of parchment paper. Gently work the edge of the dough free from the remaining piece of parchment paper and place the dough directly on the hot griddle.

Cook the dough until it begins to change colour and bubbles form. When the underside appears cooked, flip the flatbread over and cook the remaining side. The entire cooking time will be less than 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your flatbread and the heat of your griddle. When cooked, remove from the griddle and set aside.

Repeat this process with the remaining 7 discs of dough. When you are finished and the flatbreads have cooled, they can be stored in an air tight container in the frig or freezer for later use.

*The gluten free flour I make myself and keep on hand in a large container is 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1/2 cup arrowroot flour, 1/4 cup sweet rice flour and 1/4 cup sorghum flour. If you wish to have more options, you can buy gluten free all purpose flour mix that has been commercially prepared such as the one from Bob’s Red Mill or Canbrands Kingsmill – Rice Bread and Baking Mix. You might also want to consult one of Bette Hagman’s books such as “The Gluten-Free Gourment Cooks Comfort Foods”. She created many flour combinations for different types of cooking and was certainly an inspiration to me when I first began to cook gluten free.

**You could also use a non-dairy substitute.

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Traditional Style Soda Bread

4 cups gluten free, grain free flour: I used -


1 c. quinoa flour
1 c. almond meal
1 c. tapioca flour
½ c. light buckwheat flour
¼ c. ground chia flour or ground flax seed flour
¼ c. amaranth flour


2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried herbs : 1 tsp onion powder and 1 tsp dried parsley
2 Tbsp. beet sugar ( other granulated sugar if no beet is available )
2 cups butter milk or soured milk ( 2 cups milk + 2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar ) at room temp or heated in the microwave for 1 minute
2 large free range eggs, beaten
6 Tbsp. butter at room temperature.


Combine the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the butter and work into the flour using your finger tips until it is totally integrated and the mixture is like a fine meal. Set aside.


Mix the eggs and milk together. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Stir gently until it is completely mixed, but not over mixed.


Turn the dough into a well greased loaf pan or frying pan that can go into the oven. Instead of greasing the pan, you can also line it with parchment paper. This works very well. Let sit for 30 minutes. Brush the top with oil and cut an X in the top with a knife to allow the top to rise without splitting.


Bake at 375F for about an 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a knife or toothpick can be inserted into the bread and come out clean. If, at any time, the top is browning quickly, cover loosely with tin foil and return to the oven.


When baked, turn out onto a rack and allow to cool. If you’ve used the parchment paper, you can just lift it out and move it to a cooling rack. Store in the refrigerator.

Thin Crust Pizza Base

6 medium potatoes or about 2 pounds ( suitable for mashing, skins on – russet )*1

1 extra large egg

2 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp chicken broth

1 tsp xanthan gum

¾ cup potato flour ( not starch )*2

¼ cup quinoa flour

¼ cup tapioca

2 – 3 Tbsp finely chopped mixed fresh herbs

( such as: parsley, marjoram, thyme, oregano, chives )

salt and pepper ( to taste )

Boil the potatoes with the skins on until they are cooked. Drain and set aside to cool. When cool, peel and put through a potato ricer.

In another bowl, combine potato flour, quinoa flour, tapioca flour and xanthan gum. Stir to mix well. Set aside.

In a large electric stand mixer bowl, combine cooked potatoes, oil and broth. Beat until a good constancy mashed potato is achieved. Add egg and slowly spoon in the flour mixture, salt, pepper and fine herbs. Continue to mix until the dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a board floured with potato flour. Work into a ball. *3

Take about 1/6 of the dough ball and patted it in your hands to form a flattened cake. Then place it on a piece of parchment paper dusted with potato flour. Dust the top side of the “pattie cake” with potato flour and put another piece of parchment paper on top. Take a rolling pin and, rolling from the centre outward, flatten it into a 10 inch pizza disc. Take the top layer of parchment paper off and put the crust on a baking sheet with the parchment paper under it.

Bake in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes. Flip it over after 15 minutes so both sides brown.

Portions of it will really puff up, but they go back down when they came out of the oven.

Repeat with the remaining 5 portions of dough.

These pizza crusts can be frozen for use at a later date. They also make good sandwich wraps.

When you want to finish the pizza, add your choice of fresh toppings to the crust and broil until the cheese has melted and begun to brown.

Notes:

*1. The potatoes are cooked with the skins on to help them retain their nutritional value and prevent them from absorbing additional liquid. They peel very easily when cooked.

*2. Potato flour is used here, NOT potato starch. The one cup of flour consists of 2 mealy flours ( potato and amaranth ) and one binding/thickening flour or starch ( arrowroot ). The xanthan gum acts to assist the binding process.

*3. This dough can be kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator overnight. If it gets sticky from too much moisture, knead in more potato flour until it’s a nice elastic dough again.

Savoury Soda Bread

This recipe is totally gluten free, “grass family” free, contains no nightshades or yeast

2 cups GF flour -

1/2 cup amaranth

1/2 cup quinoa

1/3 cup tapioca

1/3 cup almond meal

1/3 cup flax meal

1 Tbsp beet sugar

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp Herb de Provence

2 1/2 Tbsp buttermilk powder

1 cup water

6 Tbsp almond oil

1 egg ( organic free range )

Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan or round pan

Put all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix together.

In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients.

Make a well in the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.

The dough will be quite sticky, not too dry and may start to react quickly so have your greased pan ready. Place the dough in the greased pan. Smooth the top and brush with oil or melted butter. Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes. Check the top after 20 minutes. If it is browning too quickly, cover with tin foil. It is cooked when the top is a nice brown colour and the edges have pulled away from the pan.

Turn out onto a metal rack and allow to cool.

The bread is very aromatic, moist and easy to slice. It goes will with anything containing beef or lamb – chilli, stew, soups, sloppy joes, shepherds pie, roast meat etc.

Potato Dough

6 medium potatoes or about 2 pounds ( suitable for mashing, skins on – russet )*1

1 extra large egg

2 Tbsp oil ( butter )

2 Tbsp chicken broth ( or milk/cream )

1 tsp xanthan gum

½ cup potato flour ( not starch )*2

¼ cup amaranth flour

¼ cup arrowroot

2 – 3 Tbsp finely chopped mixed fresh herbs

( such as: parsley, marjoram, thyme, oregano, chives )

salt and pepper ( to taste )

Boil the potatoes with the skins on until they are cooked. Drain and set aside to cool. When cool, peel and put through a potato ricer.

In another bowl, combine potato flour, arrowroot flour, amaranth flour and xanthan gum. Stir to mix well. Set aside.

In a large electric stand mixer bowl, combine cooked potatoes, oil and broth. Beat until a good constancy mashed potato is achieved. Add egg and slowly spoon in the flour mixture, salt, pepper and fine herbs. Continue to mix until the dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a board floured with potato flour. Work into a ball.

The dough is now ready to use in other recipes*3.

Notes:

*1. The potatoes are cooked with the skins on to help them retain their nutritional value and prevent them from absorbing additional liquid. They peel very easily when cooked.

*2. Potato flour is used here, NOT potato starch. The one cup of flour consists of 2 mealy flours ( potato and amaranth ) and one binding/thickening flour or starch ( arrowroot ). The xanthan gum acts to assist the binding process.

*3. This dough can be kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator overnight.

Buttermilk Pancakes

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/4 cup arrowroot flour

1/4 sorghum flour

1/4 cup buttermilk powder

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp xantham gum

1 tsp baking powder ( gluten free )

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp almond oil*

1 tsp pure vanilla

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine the beaten eggs, almond oil, vanilla and milk. Mix thoroughly. Pour the wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients and mix. Do not over stir.

In a frying pan or on a griddle, cook the batter, one large spoonful at a time, over medium heat. When bubbles break in the batter, check the underside. If it’s golden brown, flip the pancake onto the uncooked side. Continue cooking until the second side is also golden brown and the batter is well cooked. Remove from the pan and keep warm on a platter in the oven. Continue cooking the batter, one large spoonful at a time, until it has all been made into pancakes.

Serve hot with butter and syrup.

*any vegetable oil that stands up well to high heat cooking is suitable

Apple Butter Syrup

1 organic apple ( Gala ) peeled, cored and sliced

1 teaspoon butter

1 tsp oil ( almond )

¼ tsp cinnamon or to taste

pinch of nutmeg

4 Tablespoons honey

Melt the butter and oil in a pan. Add honey, cinnamon and nutmeg and bring to a gentle boil. Add apple slices and toss in syrup to coat. Cook until the apple slices are tender and the syrup is sticky. Stir frequently.

Serve hot on pan cakes, or cold on yoghurt, dry curd cottage cheese or ice cream.