FRYING PAN PIZZA WITH A SMOKEY DATE & TOMATO JAM BASE
Lerato’s smokey date and tomato jam has become somewhat of an obsession of mine. So much so that this month I had ended up with two rather large jars of it in the refrigerator. I find myself using it abundantly as what can only be described as a side dish and before I used it all up (again) I wanted to try something different rather than slathering it over every meal, and I know you’re probably thinking, ‘isn’t she slathering it over yet another meal here?’ and to that, I answer no, because the usage of the jam is much less than my day to day usage and I wish to stand firm in my delusion that using it on pizza base is any different to eating it with other foods.
Anyway, I know this seems like an awful lot of steps, but trust me, the preparation and assembly of this pizza is a lot easier than it looks. Plus, they are truly worth the assumed effort.
Ingredients
Serves 3
For the Dough
200g White spelt flour - plus a little extra for dusting
2 Tbsp Sea Moss Gel
150ml warm water
1/2tsp Agave
A pinch of Sea salt
For the ‘Cheese’
150g soaked Brazil nuts
100ml water
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
Sea Salt to taste
For the Aubergines
2 Small Aubergine s finely sliced into rounds
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
A good pinch of sea salt
Black pepper
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
For the base:
2 Tbsp of Lerato’s smokey date and tomato jam for each pizza
https://leratofoods.substack.com/p/smoky-tomato-and-date-jam
Toppings
Cherry Tomatoes
Red onion
Bell peppers
Olive Oil
Fresh Basil
( Feel free to add your favourites, olives will work fabulously along with a few mushrooms and capers)
Method
For the Dough
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, seamoss, salt and agave and once combined create a small well in the centre of the bowl and slowly begin to pour the warm water in, mixing with a wooden spoon as you go.
- Once the dough is formed, knead for 5 minutes, shape into a ball and cover the bowl with clingfilm.
- Set aside for 1 hour
For the ‘Cheese’
Add all ingredients to a blender cups and blitz on a high speed until the ‘cheese’ is completely smooth and lump free
For the Aubergines
-In a large bowl toss or massage all ingredients together until evenly covered.
- Then heat another Tbsp of olive in a frying pan, once hot pop your seasoned aubergines in and cook on a medium heat until slightly brown on each side.
- Set aside until pizza assembly
Back to the dough & Pizza Cooking
- Pre heat your oven to 180
-Lightly dust a flat surface with flour and cut your dough into three equal pieces and form them into balls using your hands
- Using your fingers, gently stretch out the dough to your desired pizza size
- Heat up a medium sized frying pan and once hot add your first stretched out dough into the pan
- Cook until the dough has slightly browned on one side, then flip over and continue to cook for another 30 seconds.
- Here take the pan off of the heat and add your toppings.
- Once your pizza is fully assembled transfer the pan to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until your toppings are nicely cooked.
- Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle fresh basil to serve
Cooks notes:
If you cannot find Brazil nuts, you can substitute for cashews, almonds or even tofu. But if and when using tofu there is no need to blend with water, you can just mash with a fork and add seasonings as desired to create a cheese like texture.
If you aren’t a fan of nuts or have an allergy, there are plenty of vegan cheese options that you can find in pretty much every supermarket. The reason why I haven’t gone with a vegan cheese on this occasion because I find that they lack in flavour and tend to stick to the roof of your mouth.
If you have found one that is palatable and doesn’t taste like plastic flavoured air please do let me know!
