SIMPLY GRAIN FREE PIZZA

Nov 14

Monday and Wednesday afternoons, my mom worked as a dentist in a small private practice that belonged to a boarding school for hearing impaired children. On those days, a baby sitter took care of me and my siblings while mom was away. She was a tiny sweet women that originally came from the Meran area of Northern Italy. Being Italian, she was a fabulous cook and I still fondly remember all the delicious foods she cooked and baked for us, especially the lasagna, pizza, and the most delicious Christmas cookies.
From her, I learned making homemade pizza dough with onions, cardamom, and olive oil that was topped with tomato sauce, plenty of cooked vegetables, freshly grated cheese, and fresh herbs.
Unfortunately, this pizza was a painful loss when I first started on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet over ten years ago. Without any regular flour and yeast, I felt there was no use in trying to make something similar. For the first few years, I did not know that this kind of eating would become more of a lifestyle than a short healing period. So I simply stuck to the SCD legal list and kept it as simple as possible for me since the rest of the family still followed the mainstream Western diet. Once I realized that the healing on the diet was real, it occurred to me that this was not just a diet but a healthy way of eating that anyone could benefit from. One after another, my children and husband joined me on the healing journey for various health reasons. Of course this requires some sacrifices as you are left out of the social eating part of our society. To make the transition easier for them, I started recreating all kinds of old favorite recipes with SDC-legal ingredients only. Until then, I had not eaten any pizza in years, but for teenage children, I felt I had to make the diet more exciting to keep them from falling off the wagon. I started experimenting with different ingredients and toppings and finally came up with a presentable, delicious pizza my kids love!

I added cheese, olive oil, and minced scallions to the almond flour dough to give it a heartier, less cake-like taste. I spread the dough in a very thin layer to make it less dense, then brushed it with olive oil, and pre-baked it to prevent the sauce from entering the dough and making it mushy. I topped the crust with tomato paste, spices, and plenty of cheese. My kids were thrilled with the result. It is a little more dense and filling than regular yeast dough but it does taste like the real thing.

I for myself was still was not quite happy with the result. Finally, I remembered all the precooked vegetables that our former baby sitter generously spread over the pizza and, for me, that did the trick. I sautéd mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, and egg plant and distributed them over the tomato paste, then add a thick layer of cheese and Italian fresh herbs. This gave the pizza a whole new taste dimension and, finally, I am more than pleased to indulge into this new-found old classic. Yes, and like in the old days, I do eat the leftovers cold from the fridge the next day!
Enjoy!

SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
for the dough:
1/3 cup plain yoghurt (For SCD or people with lactose intolerance use homemade 24 hour yoghurt and strain it through a cheese cloth for about one hour)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup Emmental cheese or other aged cheese, finely grated
1 tbsp scallions, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp beef gelatin (optional this makes a crispier crust)

tomato sauce:
7 oz tomato paste
1/4 cup filtered water
1 tsp Italian herbs
1 tsp sea salt
freshly grated pepper

pizza toppings (optional):
mushrooms, sliced
bell peppers, cut into strips
onions, cut into half rings
fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary and basil, minced
pepperoni
olives, pitted and sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cups grated cheese, I like a mix of Parmesan and Emmental cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven at 375°F / 190°C.

for the dough:
Add the eggs, olive oil, and dripped yogurt to a mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Add the almond flour, baking soda, salt, scallions, beef gelatin, and cheese and mix well until you have a soft dough.
Spread the dough into a very thin layer (1/4” thick) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake the dough at 375° F / 190° C for 8 to 10 minutes until slightly baked on the surface. Remove from the oven.

Add the tomato paste, Italian herbs, sea salt, pepper, and water to a small saucepan. Mix well while heating until it starts bubbling. Carefully spread the tomato mix in a thin layer evenly over the dough.

for the toppings:
Add the olive oil, mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions to the saucepan and sauté until the vegetables turn soft. Distribute the vegetables evenly over the dough.

Cover everything generously with cheese, sparing 1/2” around the edges.

Bake in the upper part of the oven at 375° F / 190° C for 15 to 20 more minutes until the cheese is melted, slightly brown, and bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh herbs and/or arugula.