Recipe by Katie Caldesi of The Good Kitchen Table
Recipe 2 of 3 for Diabetes Awareness Week
Per serving with the tomato sauce and Mozzarella: net carbs 10g, protein37g, fat 65g, fibre13g, 647kcal
We all know that a good pizza is hard to beat. I have experimented with various alternative bases: cauliflower bases have an overpowering taste; cheese-only bases are just too fatty; and sweet potato bases are too high in carbs. So here we have it – ta-dah! Our perfect pizza base is made from the humble courgette and a handful of almonds. It is both crisp around the edges and supports the taste of the topping without overwhelming it – and the kids love it too. I peel the courgette so that it doesn’t have green flecks in the dough but use the whole vegetable if you prefer.
Ingredients
For the base
- Extra virgin olive oil, to grease
- 25g Parmesan
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 150g ground almonds
- 1 medium courgette (approximately 175–220g), peeled and coarsely grated
For the tomato sauce
- 125g canned whole Italian plum tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the topping
- 75g mozzarella, drained
- extra virgin olive oil, to finish
- a few basil leaves, to finish
A selection of the following
- a handful of olives
- 8–10 slices of salami
- 8 – 10 slices of spicy chorizo
- 8 anchovies, drained from oil
- Pinch of chilli flakes
Method
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 200˚C/fan 180˚C/gas mark 6. Line oen or two baking trays with baking parchment (depending on their size) and brush them with oil.
Step 2 - Put all the ingredients for the pizza base together in a bowl and mix with a large metal spoon. It will form a fairly thick dough.
Step 3 - Divide the dough into two and put a mound of the dough onto each tray. Press and shape each half with wet hands into a circle 1cm deep and 18–20cm across. Bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile blend the ingredients together for the sauce in a mixing bowl.
Step 4 - Remove the trays from the oven. At this stage the bases can also be cooled to room temperature, wrapped tightly in baking parchment and kept in the fridge for 3 days or frozen for 3 months. Defrost before use.
Step 5 - When you are ready to cook the pizzas, increase the oven temperature to 250˚C or as hot as it will go. Top each one with half the tomato sauce leaving a finger-width border around the edge. Tear over the mozzarella and add the toppings you like. Return the tray to the oven and bake for 6–8 minutes until the mozzarella is bubbling and the crust becomes crisp and browned. Remove from the oven and serve with a drizzle of oil and the basil leaves.
