Okay…I’ve become addicted to using hummus as the “saucy” part of a pizza. I admit it. Why? Because it challenges me to come up with flavors that will pair well with it. After my use of it yesterday on my version of a Tostada Pizza…I was ready to take on a new challenge. And that’s exactly what I did.
Tonight, I created a version of a Mediterranean Pizza…once again utilizing hummus as the base and building the flavors on that. Tonight’s result turned out to be one of my favorite pizzas that I have created to date. I only wish I had a much more clever name for it. But…that can always change.
There is some prep involved in this, but I promise…all the roasting, toasting, and caramelizing is worth it in the end!
Recipe: Gluten-Free and Vegan Mediterranean Pizza
Servings: 4 – 12 (depending on the size crust you use)
Time: Prep 40 minutes; Cook 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 Pizza crust (either homemade or store-bought) (I used Rustic Crust Gluten-Free Napoli Herb Crust)
- Wild Garden Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, roasted
- 6 organic plum tomatoes, sliced
- 2 ounces (more if you are doing a larger pizza) goat cheese
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese (I used mozzarella flavor rice shreds)
- 1 cup chopped spring mix lettuce
- 2 tablespoons (more if your pizza is larger) toasted pine nuts
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Wash the red bell pepper and place on a cookie sheet. Roast in the oven, turning every 15 minutes, until done (about 30 minutes). Place roasted peppers in a covered bowl or brown paper bag to make the skin easier to peel. Once the peppers have cooled, carefully peel off the blackened skin and discard. Pull or cut off the top of the pepper and squeeze gently to remove the seeds. You can do this ahead of time, slice the peppers, and then keep in the refrigerator until you need to use them.
Once your peppers are out of the oven and chopped, dust your pizza stone with cornmeal and place in the oven to preheat. If you are using a pizza pan, you do not need to do this.
Caramelize your red onion. Slice your onions into half-rounds and place in a hot pan with olive oil. Cook the onions over medium low heat, stirring every couple of minutes. Adjust the heat so that they merely sizzle and continue to cook on medium-low to low heat, stirring, until the onions are soft and anywhere from honey-colored to deep brown, depending on how caramelized you like them.
While the onions are caramelizing, get out a small skillet and place over medium-low heat. Pour in your pine nuts and shake the pan until the nuts are a golden brown. Take off the heat and set aside.
Remove your pizza stone from the oven (or prep your pizza pan). If you made your own pizza dough, cook it as you normally would, then remove to add the toppings. If you are using a store-bought crust, simply place the crust in the center of the stone or pan.
Spread a layer of Wild Garden Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus across the crust. Next, sprinkle the pizza with the caramelized onions. Add the slices of plum tomato. Then scatter your chopped roasted red pepper over the pizza.
Using your fingers, break apart the goat cheese and carefully drop small pieces of it around the pizza surface over the vegetables. Add as much as you like. Then, give a light dusting of mozzarella cheese to the pizza.
Place in the oven and cook the pizza for 8 – 10 minutes, allowing the crust to turn golden and the cheese to melt. Remove from the oven and scatter chopped mixed lettuce greens over the top.
Next, drop toasted pine nuts over the top of the pizza and place back in the oven for 1 minute more, allowing the greens to just wilt.
Remove from oven, slice, enjoy.
~*~*~
Whew. Like I said…the prep work that goes into this particular pizza can be quite daunting, but honestly, so much of it can be done ahead of time, or while something else is going on the stove or heating in the oven. Chopping the vegetables is easy
The result, however, is a bold, delicious pizza with an amazing crisp crust. The hummus creates a rich base that pairs beautifully with the roasted, toasted, and caramelized flavors of the toppings to this pizza. I added the pine nuts for a bit of texture and they were a fantastic addition in the end. It was my first time ever using pine nuts and now I can’t wait to try something else with them in it.
Looking for a different sort of pizza to serve on pizza night? Try a blend of Mediterranean flavors that is sure to impress your taste buds and your dinner companions.
The Celiathlete 