A slice of the action!

Becca Wilson
Aug 31, 2017
5 min read

Being a gluten free veggie definitely isn't that bad - just check out the photos of my homemade pizza! This post (it's a longer one today) is about pizza mainly - where to find good pizza and how to make a perfect (I think!) gluten free veggie pizza at home.

Once I found out that I needed to go gluten-free, one of my first thoughts was 'AHHH pizza and pasta are my favourite dishes - I certainly can't go on without eating them'.

I really do love pizza and pasta, served with a fresh salad and a glass of wine. Now, that is perfection for me.

As I've said before, when dining out, most places tend to cater to a veggie, gluten free diner. If you're going out for dinner and fancy some Italian food, then the good news is that most pizzeria chains tend to have great gluten free pizza or pasta dishes (some even have a separate gluten free menu). In Edinburgh, Ask Italian was definitely my favourite of the chains. They change their menu frequently, and they always have yummy gluten free veggie starters such as 'melanzane al forno' and they often have the best gluten free garlic doughballs. They tend to have four or five suitable pizzas (my favourite is the 'caprina' with creamy goat's cheese) and two or three pasta dishes. They also have suitable salads and risottos. However, the best thing about going there is the gluten free chocolate fondant. At your table, the server pours hot toffee sauce over the dark chocolate cup and the fondant slowly appears - wow it is the BEST!

Up until July, my boyfriend and I lived in the Dalry area, in Edinburgh, and whenever there was a special occasion, one of us would book our favourite Italian. There is only one Locanda De Gusti and it is so well known, and so sought after, that you have to book at least two weeks in advance. The chef, Rosario, has won numerous awards for his cooking, and it's no wonder, because he imports some of his produce from Italy, he uses some local Scottish produce, and everything is made from scratch every day. Everytime we go, the menu is different, and there are always at least three suitable unique starters - egg frittata with fresh courgette flowers, onion and parmiggiano, oven-baked and served with provola is just one example. Any pasta dish can be created using Rosario's homemade fresh gluten free pasta, and all of the desserts are gluten free. A dinner here is going to cost you a little more than going to a chain, but the freshness of the ingredients Rosario uses, the variety of mouth-watering dishes he creates and the vibrant, authentic atmosphere created by the staff means it is definitely worthwhile. Also, Rosario often likes to come out of his busy kitchen to say hi to his guests.

However, if you're at home enjoying a relaxing evening, and you suddenly fancy pizza, what can you do? Here's my experience of pizza deliveries. Dominos was just around the corner for us, and they do create a gluten free pizza base, however, it's at least £14 for a small pizza and the base is quite hard. Pizza Hut do create gluten free pizzas but I haven't try their option yet, and as far as I know, Papa Johns don't have any gluten free options. So, this is why my boyfriend and I started experimenting with gluten free flour variations and I think we have mastered the 'perfect' pizza base.

Last night, we made a mexican spice roast veg pizza with marinated quorn 'chicken pieces'. Feel free to try it out or steal the dough recipe and create your own toppings.

We only started cooking when we got home from work around 5pm, and we were eating by 7pm. Here are our 5 steps to creating this delight of a pizza (serves 6 people).

Ingredients:

For the marinated quorn 'chicken pieces'

* 300g quorn 'chicken pieces'

* garlic, 1 clove

* olive oil, 2 teaspoons

* tomato puree, 1 tablespoon

* runny honey, 1 tablespoon

* spices - smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin and cinnamon

* chipotle and paprika paste, 1 teaspoon

For the dough

* 400g gluten free plain flour

* xanthan gum, 2 teaspoons

* bicarbonate of soda, 1 teaspoon

* 7g fast-action dried yeast

* olive oil, 1 teaspoon

* 1 large egg

* 300ml warm water (1 part boiling, 2 part cold)

* optional herbs (we used rosemary and oregano)

For the roast veg

* 500g baby plum tomatoes

* 2 pointed red peppers

* 1 red bell pepper

* 3 cloves garlic, chopped

For the tomato base sauce

* tomato puree, 2 tablespoons

* cold water, 100ml

* optional herbs (we used smoked paprika and oregano)

** Grated mozzarella and cheddar - enough to cover the top of the pizza

Method:

Step 1: Marinade

Marinade the 'chicken pieces' in a tupperware box with the garlic, olive oil, tomato puree, runny honey and the spices. Add the chipotle and paprika paste, and you may want to add chilli powder. Mix with a fork, shake the box and season to taste.We left it to marinade for around an hour at room temperature, but the longer the better (if you're leaving it overnight or during the day, pop the tupperware into the fridge).

Step 2: Dough

Next, combine all the dry dough ingredients in a bowl. Mix together with a fork. Break the egg into the centre and add the oil. Slowly begin to add the water, whilst continuing to mix. Once all the water is added, start to knead the dough for about 10-15 mins on a flour-dusted work surface, adding extra flour if the dough is getting sticky. Form into a ball. Pour a drop of oil into the bowl, add your dough, cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise (for around an hour).

Step 3: Veg topping

Meanwhile, set the oven to around 180°C. Prepare the vegetables for the pizza topping and mix them with oil, smoked paprika and black pepper in a roasting tray. Roast in the oven until they are beginning to brown.

Step 4: Base

Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out and roll it out on a flour-dusted work surface to the size you need. The thinner the base the better (in our opinion). Lay the base out on a lightly greased baking tray. Use a fork to roughly score the base. Place in the oven (around 180°C) for 5-10 minutes. While it's in the oven, make your tomato base sauce. In a bowl, mix the tomato puree, water and herbs together.

Step 5: Loading up!

Once the base is ready, the 'chicken' has marinated nicely and the vegetables are roasted, it's load up time!

Start by spreading a layer of the tomato sauce on the base. Then spoon the marinated quorn 'chicken pieces' and roast veg to create your topping. Finish by sprinkling grated cheddar and mozzarella on top.

Bake in the oven (around 180°C) for 20-30 minutes until the pizza is ready.

Sound easy enough? As I said, I think we have mastered the gluten free pizza. I hope you can use this recipe to help you find your 'perfect' pizza.

Let me know how you get on!

Ciao for now! Thanks for persevering and reading my whole post.

x gf v x