The World of Pizza

It's difficult to put an exact definition on pizza. It seems every culture has some form of food that resembles pizza. Basically, it is a flat bread crust with stuff on top. Or sometimes the stuff is inside. The ancestor of the American pizza originated in Naples.

The Neapolitan pizza is characterized by a bread crust which by itself has little flavor; it is the vehicle to get the toppings to your mouth without it falling into your lap. On top of that is a flavorful tomato sauce. This provides the bulk of the taste and moistens the entire thing so it goes down easy. A thin layer of mozzarella cheese covers the top that holds the whole thing together. And finally, sprinkled on the top is a little fresh basil. This simple recipe spread throughout Italy, each applying their own local variations. Then it spread all through Europe and East and West.

But something awful happened to the recipe on the way over to the U.S. Apparently the recipe blew overboard, and when the crew finally dredged it out of the sea, it was water-logged and practically illegible. This must be the case because the American pizza has evolved into something quite grotesque. The crust keeps getting thicker and denser. The tomato sauce is thin and lifeless. There are no herbs to speak of. Taking center stage is the thick carpet of cheese on top. Cheese is even infused into the crust. What was once a savory, tangy delight has become a thick, heavy glob of cheese and dough. This evolution has placed American pizza into the "junk food" category, which is a real shame because pure pizza is darn good food.

Over the years, I have been interested in pizzas from around the world. One pizza I really enjoy is a Moroccan pizza, also known as Marrakesh Pizza. This pizza is not easy to make, though, as the toppings are really a filling. The dough is folded with the filling inside, rolled out, folded again, and rolled out again. While this does create an interesting pizza, it's time consuming and messy. However, I love the taste of the filling.

In the following recipe, I recreate the Marrakesh filling but use it as a topping on the traditional Italian style pizza. I have been searching for a good gluten-free pizza crust, but so far the best is the one in Bette Hagman's book The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread. I present a slightly modified version of Bette's pizza crust below.

What I like in this particular pizza is the absence of a sauce. Pizza does not have to have a sauce, and many non-American pizzas I've tried do not. Here I used tomatoes fresh my garden and some rice-based cheese. As you can tell, cheese plays a very small role in this dish.

Marrakesh Pizza

Ingredients

pizza crust:

7/8 c brown rice flour

5/8 c tapioca flour

1½ t xanthan or guar gum

1 T sugar

3 T almond meal

½ t salt

2½ t yeast

2 egg whites, or 2 T ground flax seed + 4 T warm water

1½ T olive oil

½ t vinegar

¾ c warm water, more or less

filling:

½ onion, chopped fine

2 large tomatoes, or 4 romas

3 T parsley

½ t ground coriander

1 t paprika

1 t cumin

½ c shredded cheese

2 T olive oil

Steps

To make the pizza crust:

1. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or round pizza pan (not one with holes, the dough is too wet).

2. Blend the dry ingredients (rice flour through yeast) in a medium bowl.

3. Place wet ingredients in the bowl of your mixer and blend (reserve some of the water). With the mixer on low, add the flour mix. Add more water if needed to get a firm but spreadable dough. Beat on high for 3½ minutes.

4. Spread dough on the prepared sheet or pan, spreading in circles until 12 inches in diameter. Raise the edges slightly.

5. Let rise for about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F.

6. Bake crust for about 10 minutes. While baking, prepare the topping.

To make the topping:

1. Mix all the topping ingredients into a bowl.

2. Spread topping on top of crust and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.

Oothapams

Not only are oothapams fun to say, but they are a wonderful treat from Southern India. They are sometimes referred to as Indian pizza or pancakes. In my research, I found there are many varieties. Some have a wheat-based batter, and the vegetable toppings can be as varied as they are in American pizza toppings.

For this version, though, I have stuck with the traditional gluten-free batter made with rice and urad dal. Urad dal is also called black gram or black matpe beans. Ironically, these beans are white, as the black skin is typically removed. These things have an awful smell when soaking. The smell does not transfer over to its taste so much, so don't let it fool you.

You can get urad dal in any Indian grocery, or you can get it through Amazon: Spicy World Urad Dal (Split Matpe or Beluga Beans)Washed 2 Pounds

This recipe requires some planning, as the rice and urad dal needs to be soaked over night, then the batter should ferment all day long. I wonder whether this fermentation period is really necessary, but I will present the traditional method here.

Flipping these pancakes requires some delicate skill. The dough is rather fragile and tends to stick to the pan. You need to use enough oil and flip with some dexterity. I botched numerous oothapams before I got one that was photo-worthy. They all taste the same anyway.

Oothapams

Ingredients

1½ c white basmati rice, rinsed and drained
½ c urad dal, rinsed and drained
1 t salt
¼ c plain yogurt
¼ t baking soda
1 c fresh or frozen peas
1 small red onion, minced
2 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded and minced
½ c cilantro or parsley

Steps

1. Mix rice and urad dal in a large glass or metal bowl. Cover with water and add 3 additional inches. Let this soak overnight.

2. The next morning, drain and transfer to a food processor. Add the salt and 1 cup of water. Blend until a thin, smooth batter is formed. Transfer this back to the bowl and place a towel over it. Let it sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours.

3. Stir in yogurt, baking soda, and ½ cup water.

4. Combine the peas, onion, jalapeños , and cilantro in a separate bowl.

5. Grease a small non-stick frying pan with oil. Heat pan to medium-high heat. Pour ½ cup of batter onto the pan. Drizzle some more oil along the edges to keep it from sticking.

6. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of the topping onto the pancake. Cook 3 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown. Carefully flip it over and cook an additional 1 minute.

7. Carefully remove pancake to a baking sheet and keep in a warm oven until all are done. Repeat process for remaining batter. Serve warm.

Makes 8 pancakes.

Chickpea Flour Pizza

Chickpeas (also known as garbonzo beans) are very common in Indian cuisine. This is a very ancient food, first cultivated in the Middle East around 5400 BC, and from there they spread eastward to India and westward throughout the Mediterranean. Oddly, their spread seemed to stop there, as they are rare in Oriental dishes and rarer still in Northern European fare.

As we are huge consumers of Indian food, chickpeas are a staple in the Evolution Kitchen, and so is chickpea flour, which is a main ingredient in our gluten-free breads. You may have trouble finding this in your local Safeway, but health food stores and gourmet groceries should carry it (Bob's Red Mill has it). You can also find it in Indian markets, usually by the name besan.

Or you can buy it here from Amazon: Besan Flour - Chickpea Flour

The following dish is an incredible delight that we have made twice this week. It is actually an Italian recipe called Socca Farinata, a morning food for the working class in Nice and Genoa. We originally got this recipe from the wonderful book "World Vegetarian" by Madhur Jaffrey, but we have made some modifications to simplify things.

Note that this is not your typical American pizza. The dough is soft, almost like a polenta, and probably should be eaten with a fork. Another important point is this needs a large skillet that can both sit on the stovetop and go under a broiler. We used our cast iron skillet, but we did have some trouble getting the pizza out afterwards.

Chickpea Flour Pizza

Ingredients:

2/3 c chickpea flour
1/2 t salt
1 c water
2 T olive oil
1/2 t dried rosemary, finely crushed
1/2 t dried thyme
1/4 t garlic powder, or 1 garlic clove minced
1 small plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped
3 scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
ground black pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Stir the chickpea flour and salt together in a bowl. Slowly add half the water and stir into a fine paste, breaking up any lumps. Add the rest of the water and mix into a thin batter. Stir in the rosemary, thyme, and garlic.

2. Use a 12-inch non-stick skillet that can be put under the broiler. Heat skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the oil. Give the batter another good stir and pour into skillet.

3. Cook the batter for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle on the onion and tomato. Add a good dose of black pepper. Continue to cook until it begins to set, another 5 or so minutes. Get your broiler going.

4. Remove the skillet from the stove and place about 5 inches from the broiler. Broil for another 5-7 minutes, or until it is golden all over.

5. Remove from oven. Gently losen the pizza from the skillet. Depending on how deep your skillet is, you may have to cut the pizza first to get out, or invert on a plate. Serve immediately.