Hello to you all,
I am by no means a staunch Banter, but I absolutely love the way this low-carb approach makes us all consider what we are eating, and also encourages us to step out of our comfort zones in the kitchen and try something new.
I mean, a cauliflower-based pizza? Three years ago, you might have thought this a crazy idea but now, hopefully, a recipe such as this one for Banting-friendly pizza may just be the encouragement you need to cut a few carbs.
Let us know how you get on,
With love from all at the Palace,
HRH Kathleen
You will need
For the bases:
1 kg cauliflower florets, riced
1 egg, beaten
⅓ cup mature cheddar
1 tsp dried oregano
A pinch of salt and a grind of pepper
2 Tbsp Pesto Princess Rocket Pesto
For the topping:
2 Tbsp Pesto Princess Sundried Tomato Pesto
100 g mozzarella, grated or sliced
150 g chorizo (skin peeled off and thinly sliced)
20 g fresh rocket and basil, to serve
A drizzle of olive oil to serve
TIP: If you love your cauli-bases, prepare a double batch of the base and freeze after the first bake (let it cool before you freeze it).
How to
1. Preheat your oven to 220°C.
2. To make the cauliflower rice, pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, until a rice-like texture is achieved. You can also buy cauli-rice from most main stream supermarkets!
3. Fill a large pot with about a cup of water and bring to the boil. Add the cauliflower and cover. Let it cook/steam for about 4-5 minutes. Drain using a fine-mesh strainer. You can leave to strain in the fridge overnight or continue with the following steps – being careful not to burn yourself as the cauliflower will be hot.
4. Place the cooked cauliflower into a clean dish cloth that has been placed over a bowl. Bring the ends of the dish cloth together and twist to squeeze out all the moisture. This is where elbow grease is key! You really need to get the mixture as dry as possible!
5. Place your dried cauliflower into a bowl and mix with the egg, cheese, oreganum, seasoning and Pesto Princess Rocket Pesto. Mix well.
6. Line a baking sheet or pizza stone with parchment paper and form a ½ cm thick pizza base. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown. This will depend on the thickness of your base and of course your oven, so keep an eye on it and extend the time if necessary.
7. Remove from the oven and top with Pesto Princess Sundried Tomato Pesto, mozzarella cheese and chorizo before returning to the oven to bake for another 10-12 minutes.
Serve with fresh rocket, basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
Feeds 4
Recipe and food styling by Michelle Parkin.
Michael Olivier’s Choice
Grangehurst Pinotage 2007
This is a really classy Pinotage with a little splash of Cabernet Sauvignon and the French and American oak barrels used for maturation just add to the seriousness.
It looks like Bottled under cork in a Burgundy shaped bottle, the wine has an elegant understated label. In the glass, it is a dark satsuma plum colour at the core which pales out to garnet at the rim.
It smells like The lovely red berries of the Pinot Noir parent and the roadside brambles of the Cinsaut. Supportive brushing of oak with its concomitant spices.
It tastes like Full generous fruit, billowing mid-palate, smooth tannins and a refreshing long after taste. This is a really fine wine at a good stage of development now but will certainly improve over the next year or so if properly cellared.
