Pizza Vagabond (Rcp# 0003)

A classic revived to stay on. And spiced up to pass stuffy traditions (Rcp# 3, version 4).

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Ingredients for Pizza Base of ‘Pizza Vagabond’

This makes one standard baking tray (equals 2 – 3 servings).

• 20 – 25 plain ‘Italian’ parsley stems with leaves or just the stems (50 – 60 g) plus half the amount of carrot greens (20 – 30 g), which means you need a total of 70 – 80 g of greens in a 2/1 ratio (plain parsley/vegetable green).
• 4 – 5 large red, white or orange carrots (300g, about 230g cleaned = washed, brushed/peeled)
• 1 medium fennel (300g fennel, just the bulb, no stems)
• 1 – 2 mealy potatoes (100 g with skin, about 70-80 g cleaned = washed and peeled)
• 2 l hot water (for soaking the herbs and cooking the potatoes, carrots and fennel)
• 7 ½ tablespoons potato starch (75g, perfect measure for a tablespoon)
• 8 ½ tablespoons coconut flour (75g, yes, the coconut flour takes more spoons, due to a difference in weight and structure)
• 3 tablespoons rice flour
• 1 teaspoon locust bean gum
• Half a very ripe banana, mashed
• 3 tablespoons apple pulp (quality applesauce, pure fruit, no water or additives)
• 1 tablespoon pear syrup (agave syrup will also work)
• 1/2 tablespoon of cocoa (mildly de-oiled)
• Basil (7 – 10 fresh leaves, finely minced, or 1 tablespoon dried, flattened)
• Sage (3 – 5 fresh leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled)
• A pinch of caraway
• Freshly ground nutmeg (very small amount)
• 1/2 teaspoon of mild salt (such as Himalayan Salt Range)
• 100 ml olive oil (mild)

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Baking Instructions for Pizza Base of ‘Pizza Vagabond’

1. Wash the parsley and carrot greens. Cut off the ends of the stems and chop coarsely. Wash the fennel and remove any bad or very hard (woody) parts, then cut into small pieces (about twice the size of a sugar cube). Pour 1 liter of boiling water over the parsley stalks, carrot weed stalks, and fennel pieces. Allow to cool to moderate temperature, then remove with a slotted spoon and blend with about 150 ml of the soaking liquid (save the rest of the soaking water for broth).
2. Clean and peel the carrots and potatoes. Cut them into equal pieces and place them in a saucepan (you will need 1 ½ liters of extra space). Pour 1 liter of boiling water over the potato and carrot chunks. Turn on the heat and simmer for 20 minutes at medium heat, then turn off the heat and remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon. Use a potato masher to prepare for the next step.
3. Add the green mix (parsley and carrot green) and blend again (with blender). Allow the mixture to cool completely in a cool place (at least 20 minutes, must increase in amount). Then strain through a sieve to remove the liquid.
4. In a separate bowl, combine apple pulp, mashed banana, cocoa, pear syrup, finely chopped sage and basil, plus caraway, nutmeg and salt. Stir well until there are no lumps, then add the completely cooled and strained greens-vegetable mash (see 3.). Mix well.
5. Mix flours/starch in another bowl and join with locust bean gum in (make hole and hide – like with baking powder). Sieve the combined flours into a clean bowl (the coconut flour always has lumps in it), then add the flours in small portions to the previous mix (except for olive oil).
6. Work in the olive oil. Mix well to form a smooth dough. Leave to cool for half an hour.
7. Spread the dough one finger high on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment (oil the paper, if necessary). Bake for 30 – 35 minutes at 180°C on a medium rack (pre-heated, convection, plus top and bottom heat) until the edges of the dough come clear. Remove them from the oven and the sheets and the pizza base to cool enough to handle safely. Quarter the baked pizza bases without cutting through the baking paper or replace the parchment if damaged after cutting). Turn the plates over and return to the oven for another 10 – 12 minutes.

Allow the base to cool almost completely before topping.

Toppings for ‘Pizza Vagabond’

Ingredients for Version 1:

• 150 g feta (plant-based, e.g. from almonds or coconut)
• 9 dried figs (natural) – cut
• 60 g dried tomatoes, salted
• 50 g arugula or salad rocket
• 50 g parsley leaves (flat, ‘Italian’ parsley)
• 6 tablespoons apple pulp (high quality applesauce without additives, see [‘The Apple Pulp Connection’]
• 6-8 chives of fresh bear’s garlic or 1 teaspoon bear’s garlic in oil
• 2 teaspoons of green pesto (vegan, no pine seeds)
• nutmeg (freshly ground)
• grated cheese (plant-based, e.g. from almonds or coconut)

Preparations for Version 1:

1. Chop/crush parsley leaves (also possible fresh bear’s garlic, if available) with cradle knife (fine).
2. Mix chopped parsley with apple pulp, green pesto and nutmeg. Add bear’s garlic in oil, if it has not been chopped with parsley and arugula (and not available fresh). Mix in ca. 100 – 150 ml finger warm water to get pizza sauce consistency (depends on ingredients used). Let stand for about 5 minutes
3. Cut feta into sugar cube size, figs into thin slices and dried tomatoes into very small pieces (easy to sprinkle on top of pizza base). Gently tear arugula into smaller pieces or cut roughly with cradle knife.

Ingredients for Version 2:

• 10 – 12 large leaves of red beetroot (just the upper parts, not the stems)
• 6 – 8 big brown edible mushrooms (e.g. cremini, porcini, oyster mushrooms, shitake …)
• ½ large or 1 medium sweet potato (pealed)
• 100 g smoked tofu (or other salty-smoked protein source)
• 200 g pizza cheese (plant-based, salty-spicy type, I just found one with cheddar and gouda style mixed in)
• for pizza sauce: Sauce ‘Brother Barboquentin’

Preparations for Version 2:

1. Prepare pizza sauce (see recipe for ‘Brother Barboquentin’ at [‘The Sauce Brothers’]). For the water addition, instead of recipe instructions, mix in ca. 100 – 150 ml finger warm water to get pizza sauce consistency (depends on ingredients used). Let stand for about 5 minutes
2. Slice mushrooms, cut beetroot leaves (into squares (2 x 2 cm) and grate sweet potato.
3. Cut tofu source into sugar cube size.

Baking Instructions for ‘Pizza Vagabond

1. Place pizza sauce on pizza bases, then add vegetables and protein sources. Pay attention to the time it takes for the ingredients to cook through (soft on low, hard and protein on high, the sweet potato goes right on top of the pizza sauce on the bottom).
2. Cover with grated cheese.
3. Bake at 180 °C for 10 – 12 minutes (pure convection).

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Side Notes:

• You can make and pre-bake more pizza crusts than you need right away. They are easy to freeze and de-freeze again. That is one of the basic ideas of this recipe, because you get about 4 – 6 servings out of the plate recipe.
• Interestingly you do not need baking powder or the like in this recipe, because the vegetable mix used in the dough will pick up in size on its own if mixed in the right proportions. I am still investigating this phenomenon (might be the noegkX?).
• Ginger in oil is a good way to preserve ginger and get a balanced lemony ginger flavor: just take ginger root and cut it into very small pieces (the smallest you can manage). Place the pieces of ginger in a small glass with a lid that holds no more than 100 ml. Cover with a layer of mild olive oil about twice as thick. Store in the refrigerator, where it will stay fresh for about 1-2 weeks. Stir a little after the first and second day to help the ginger mix with the oil. Olive oil may turn to paste, but this is not a problem (oil reacts to cold). If it shows signs of mold, throw it away (the oil film did not cover everything sufficiently, this can happen).
• If you want to use traditional feta, I would suggest using cheese made from a mix of goat and sheep milk (organic or other responsible sources would be good).
• Background info on alternative flours like coconut flour and rice flour: [Using Up the Flour]

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