Make your own dough and top with some flavoursome ingredients with this recipe for squash blossom pizza from Bold Vegan
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 60ml (¼ cup) grapeseed oil or olive oil
- 1 small white onion, trimmed and peeled, sliced to about ¼ in (6mm) thick
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1g (1 tsp) chilli flakes, plus extra for serving
- Pinch saffron threads (optional)
- 120g (1 cup) raw cashew pieces, soaked in filtered water at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours
- 80ml (⅓ cup) unsweetened canned coconut milk or coconut cream
- 113g (4oz) extra-firm silken tofu or unsweetened plain vegan yogurt
- Juice from ½ lemon (1 tbsp)
- ¾ tsp coarse kosher salt (if using regular salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp white chia seeds
- Cornmeal, for crust
- 450g (1 pound) vegan pizza dough of choice
- 10 squash blossoms, washed and drained, stamen removed, halved lengthwise
- Freshly ground peppercorn
- Maldon sea salt
Method
- Place the oil, onion, garlic and pepper flakes in a small saucepan. Heat on medium-low heat, then lower the heat once the bulky ingredients start to sizzle slightly. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes until fragrant and the onion becomes translucent. Remove from the heat, add the saffron threads (if using) and infuse for 1 hour. Mince the garlic and set aside.
- Drain and rinse the cashews. Place the coconut milk, tofu, cashews, lemon juice, salt and nutritional yeast in a food processor or high-speed blender. Process until smooth. Add the chia seeds and process a few times until slightly thicker. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 232°C (450°F/Gas Mark 8). Place a thin layer of cornmeal on a large baking tray. Roll out the pizza dough as thin as you can into a rectangle, approximately 11 x 14 inches
(28 x 36 cm). Lightly brush the whole surface with infused oil, including the edges. There will be leftovers of the oil, which can be used to stir-fry veggies or to flavour pasta or other grains. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. - Top with a layer (not too thick) of cashew preparation. There will be leftovers, which can be used on a future pizza within a week. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Evenly place the halved squash blossoms on the surface. Top with the minced garlic and with onion slices scooped out from the infused oil with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 16 minutes. Top with ground pepper, salt and extra chilli flakes to taste. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per 100g)
Calories: 195 | Carbohydrates: 24.0g | Sugars: 1.8g | Fat: 7.9g | Saturates: 4.4g | Protein: 5.6g | Salt: 1.4g
Recipe and image from: Bold Vegan by Celine Steen, Page Street Publishing Co, Photography by Celine Steel
