World's Best Pizza

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Too Good To Eat

Well, now that we have a great pizza crust in the oven, let's get some mouth-watering toppers going. The main feature is the hamburger sauce, which I like to start a couple hours ahead of time to let it simmer. Here's the recipe for one 12" pizza pan.

In a medium saucepan on high heat, melt 2 T. butter and fry 3 T. chopped onion. Stir a few minutes, then add and brown:

1 fresh tomato, chopped               1 clove garlic, chopped

1/3 c. sun dried tomatoes, chopped

Next, add 1 1/2 lbs. of hamburger and mix well. Sprinkle over the meat:

1 T. oregano                    2 t. basil                     1 t. thyme

2 t. chili powder           1 t. raw honey                 2 t. olive oil

Stir for 4-5 minutes, until about a third of the beef is brown. Turn onto very low simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.

Right before baking, make a white sauce and stir the beef mixture into it. This makes a nice creamy layer to spread on the pizza. For the whitesauce:

Brown 2 T. flour in 2 T. butter in another saucepan. Add 1/4 c. of heavy cream and 1/4 c. of water. Stir til thickened, then add to beef (or vice versa). Remove from heat immediately.
 

To layer the pizza, first spread on the beef mixture. Top with 2-3 cups of fresh cauliflower florets, blanched. Sprinkle on 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, and then 1/4 c. diced pimientos. Garnish with any other condiments to your liking. Bake again for 10-15 minutes, til nicely browned. Enjoy fresh and hot from the oven!

Perfect Pizza Crust

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Fresh from the Oven

You are probably thinking as you read this post title, can you really avoid white flour, tomato sauce, and prepared-food preservatives, and still enjoy pizza? The answer is a definite yes. Okay, it's not going to be exactly the same thing you can buy prepared in a pizza box; it's going to be better! So please, let me explain how I make my own gluten-free, sugar-free, preservative-free pizza!

The basis of the crust was a specially-prepared pizza crust mix of non-gluten flours. You can buy a similar mix in almost any large supermarket or health food store. Most mixtures are based on rice flour or garbanzo bean flour, and then use xanthum gum, arrowroot, tapioca, and/or other flours to hold them together.

The flour mix you buy should have directions as to how to make a 12"-pizza pan crust. Experiment and tweak the measurements to suit your oven and your tastes. In my experience, the recipes usually call for 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water, 2 eggs, 2-6 T olive oil, and a bit of vinegar for one recipe. And then, of course, a packet of instant yeast and sweetener. I use raw honey as the sweetener and it has worked fine. I always proof the yeast in the warm water and then let the dough rise 15-20 minutes before spreading it on the sheet.

The pizza dough may be the thick, gluey consistency of regular bread dough, or it may be a bit runnier, more like cookie dough. It depends on the particular mix; both consistencies work fine, only the baking time may be different. Here is a great trick for spreading sticky pizza dough onto the sheet: lay a piece of cling wrap on top of the dough lump in the middle of the pan, and use a rolling pin (i.e. empty jelly jar in my kitchen) to roll it out to the edges. Works every time! Bake in a 400-degree oven for 10-15 minutes, usually.

Well, this post is long enough; I guess you will have to wait til next time to find out my secret recipe for "the world's best pizza topping"! 

Shepherd's Pie

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Holiday Main-Stay

Christmas dinner wouldn't be the same without a hearty home-cooked casserole. Here is a wonderful dish, sure to please all your loved ones coming in for the holidays. Our family enjoyed this recipe for Thanksgiving, but it would be excellent for Christmas or New Years too. Here's the best part: you can prepare both the meat and topping up to 3 days ahead; on the holiday morning, just grab them out of the fridge and throw them into the pan!

To start, brown 1/2 c. chopped onion in 3 T. olive oil, in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add 2 pounds of beef (hamburger, chopped chuck roast, or your favorite cut of meat). Continuing to brown, stir in:

3 T. flour           1 T. fresh ginger, minced               2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 t. ground cloves             2 t. chili powder                    1 c. pitted prunes, chopped

Once the meat is about half browned, stir in 1-2 c. of chicken broth (or water), just covering meat, and simmer on very low for 1-2 hours.

Optional: blanch 10 oz. of pearl onions in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain, peel, and add to the beef stew. NOTE: We did not do this since we could not find pearl onions at our supermarket. It was fine without, though I imagine it'd be even better with!

Meanwhile, peel 2 pounds of red potatoes and 1 pound of carrots; chop in 2-inch pieces. Place in a pan of water with 2 T. salt and boil til tender. Drain and mash. Then stir in a heated mixture of 1 c. whole milk and 1/4 c. butter. Here is the point at which everything could go into the fridge until Christmas morning.

To assemble the casserole, spoon the stew into a 9x13 glass dish. Cover with the vegetable mash, then sprinkle with 1 1/2 c. grated gouda, gruyere, or sharp cheddar cheese. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until bubbling and golden. Dish out and enjoy!

Hard Boiling Eggs

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Hardboiled Eggs in Ice Water

There are so many methods out there for hard boiling eggs, it can get quite confusing. In fact, my art teacher’s mother used to know her eggs were done when all the water was gone from the pan! My method is a bit different. First, your pot must allow all the eggs to sit on the bottom—too small and they won’t cook evenly. Fill the pan with enough water to submerge the eggs with at least 2” to spare and bring it to a rolling boil. Gently add the eggs with a slotted spoon (or else they’ll bust like the two in my picture above). Bring them back to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and set a timer for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, fix a bowl with cold water and ice. After exactly 12 minutes, dip the eggs out with the slotted spoon into their ice bath. Let them cool for a while, then drain and peel them. Besides peeling beautifully, these eggs should have spongy whites and moist yolks—not runny, yet not dried out and crumbly either. Now you’re ready to make Egg Salad, Tuna Pizza, Caesar Salad, Cheesy Mice, or your favorite egg recipe!

Egg & Cheese Salad

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Ingredients

Egg and cheese salad, an old favorite, is one of the perfect low-carb foods! This is one of the best I’ve tasted—creamy, flavorful, and fresh. Of course, we used free-range eggs from our backyard flock, for which there is no comparison!

The recipe is simple: First cube 8 hard-boiled eggs and 8 oz Swiss cheese.

Combine and pour over:

1 c. sour cream                   1 t. lemon juice                      1 1/2 t. mustard 

1 t. horseradish                      1/2 t. salt                     pinch ground cumin

Melt-In-Your Mouth Egg Salad

The salad can be chilled in the fridge, even overnight, or eaten immediately. Serve on top of fresh lettuce, accompanied by tomatoes, watercress, dried fruit, or whatever you choose. Enjoy on a hot summer day like today--right now it's almost 100° here in Ohio!

Caesar Salad

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Salad Ingredients

This mouth-watering salad could easily stand alone as a light summer lunch. It would also be a perfect side dish for a vegetable soup. Top it with gluten-free croutons if you can find them. Toss in a salad bowl:

1 head Romain lettuce, coarsely chopped

1 tomato, diced

4 hardboiled eggs, peeled and chopped

1/2 lb. sliced lunch meat, cut in squares

1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, diced in 1/2" cubes

The dressing is simple:

1/2 c. canola or vegetable oil             1 t. dried fennel or tarragon

1 t. dried basil                        1 t. mustard                        2 t. honey 

Shake up in a jar, pour over salad, and toss.

Caesar Salad

Spoon out and enjoy! This recipe will serve 6-8 people. The eggs, cheese, and meat can be prepared ahead of time, but chop the lettuce and tomatoes within an hour of serving. I like to break apart the lettuce head and soak the leaves in an ice bath for a couple hours beforehand get them nice and crisp.

Beef Tacos

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Beef Taco

The traditional taco poses a little challenge for rice/oat flour (I’ve never been able to make good tortillas at home with non-gluten flour). This recipe gets around that by using crumbled crackers underneath. It’s one of my favorite dishes and tops a fast-food taco any day!

For the bottom layer, you need about a quarter cup of crackers* per serving. Crumble them coarsely and toast them in a little oil and salt. Spread them evenly on each person’s plate.

Next is the beef. Fry ¼ c. chopped onion and add 1½ pounds of ground beef. Let it brown on high heat while you add:

1 t. cinnamon     1 t. cloves     2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1½ t. oregano    1½ t. basil     Pinch cayenne pepper     2 t. salsa

Add 2 stalks chopped celery and simmer on low til thickened and cooked through.

Taco Ingredients

Spread about ½ c. of beef over each serving of crackers.Top the tacos with grated cucumber or summer squash and shredded cheese. You can pop them in the oven for 5 minutes if you want the cheese melted.

*Basic cracker recipe:
                           ½ c. sifted  flour, 1 egg yolk, 4-6 T. water, ½ t. salt
                           Spread thinly on sheet, bake 8-10 minutes at 350
                           til crisp, and remove when cool.

Sausage Macaroni

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Beef with Tomatoes & Pasta

Here is another delicious way to eat ground beef. It tastes like a simplified lasagna or casserole, with much less work. We love the rice pasta since we couldn’t eat wheat, and in this small amount, the carbs are well balanced by the protein-rich meat.

First, cook 3/4 c. of brown rice pasta elbows in boiling water til just tender and drain (we like to do this in larger batches).

Meanwhile, heat 2 t. of oil in a saucepan and fry til fragrant:

   2 t. each: oregano, basil, sage                 1 clove garlic, chopped                   

3 dried tomatoes, chopped

Add 1½ lb. ground beef and fry on med-high heat for several minutes. Then turn it down to low, cover, and gently simmer for about 20 minutes. Keep stirring it to break up the clumps. Add the cooked pasta, heat through, and, last, stir in 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese. Serve immediately—it’s great with the squash cheesecake!

Note: You can try any flavor of cheese in the beef—I think Parmesan would be marvelous.

Meatball Sauce

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Meatballs & Sauce

Serve this unbelievably good sauce as a compliment to the No-Fuss Meatballs. It’s very quick to whip up and takes no ketchup, tomato paste, or soy sauce. To begin, melt 1 T. butter in a saucepan. Fry in the butter:

1 t. cumin           1 t. coriander                1 t. paprika         2 T. sifted flour

Add:        1 c. water                1 T. wet mustard                      1 T. mild salsa
Simmer til thickened and somewhat reduced. Add the meatballs and gently stir til heated through. Serve immediately. Can be served over rice or mashed potatoes, but we also like them plain. Enjoy a gourmet dish without the extra work!

No-Fuss Meatballs

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Meatballs in Oven

Meat is one of the best foods for a low-carbohydrate menu, since it’s high in protein and, well, low in carbs. Thus, we eat a good bit of meat, mostly chicken and beef. Understandably then, we need some easy, quick, yet delicious ways to fix it. Everyone here loves meatballs, and these aren’t much trouble except for rolling out the balls. The secret is baking instead of frying—no stuck pan or crumbled meatballs!
Combine in a large bowl and mix up well:

1½ lb. ground beef        2 fresh eggs            ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese

 ½ c. oat/rice flour     1 T. wet mustard      2 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, chopped               1½ t. each: dried basil, oregano, and sage

1 t. each: ground cumin, coriander, and cloves              ½ t. salt         
Water as needed

Roll into one-inch balls and place on well-greased foil on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, til well-browned. Cool and remove from foil. Our special Meatball Sauce will be next!