As I was resting, the entire weekend and into Monday from the flu, I kept thinking about those 3 large cucumbers sitting on my counter and how I could use them up.
Patz had given my three which I, in turn, gave one away and there was one in my garden that was ready to pick. What to do?
Patz sent me this picture of a cucumber that came out of her garden.
It was hiding……….
How else would it get that big?
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| Cucumber Boy holding his gigantic cuke! |
(Yes, my parents lived through the “Depression” and if you are a Baby-Boomer, you know what that means. We learned to keep waste to a minimum too.)
I kept thinking that, maybe, I could shred them and cook them down and use it as a base for a pizza crust. I know…….sounds crazy, but I had come across a recipe many months ago that used cauliflower for the base of a pizza.
(I am always on the look-out for a gluten free pizza crust recipe, as I have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity.)
Anyway, I have used a variation of that recipe multiple times now and with mucho success. I have made a cauliflower crust, used zucchini for the crust, why not cucumber?
……….Not so sure
Hey, Peeps ………………… IT WORKED!
Preheat oven to 400*F.
Line a pizza tray with parchment paper.
Seed, and chop cucumbers into chunks.
Shred cukes or put in food processor.
Sauté them in a large skillet over medium heat for about 20 minutes until tender. (No need to add water or oil)
Drain and rinse with cold water to cool them down. (At this point, it looks like a pile of mush, but trust me, keep going!)
Put into a thin, clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can extract. (This is where weightlifting comes in handy) I did mine in 3 small batches to ensure I got as much moisture out as possible, as this is how you will get the crust crispy.
In a mixing bowl, add the cucumbers and the rest of the ingredients and combine until well blended. Because I was using cucumbers, and it is an unconventional use of this vegetable, I used Dill and Celery seasoning instead of the traditional Italian seasoning.
Spread the mixture out onto the parchment paper. *I also spray the paper with a bit of oil and then a “dab” on my fingers before I spread it out so the mixture doesn’t stick to my fingers.
I did spread the mix all the way out to the outer edge of the pizza tray and, as you can see from the picture, after baking, it does shrink a little.
Bake for 20 minutes, pull it out, flip it over, and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
Now your ready to add your sauce and toppings of choice…….
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I used a red sauce for my base
Onions…ALWAYS!
Green peppers, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, black olives, freshly torn basil and dusted it with homemade vegan Parmesan cheese.
Use whatever toppings you like!
Pop that baby back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
Throughout the whole process of making this experimental pizza, I kept telling Poo that we might be headed out the door to pick up dinner. And frankly, at this point, I was sweating bullets ……hmmmmm………Mexican?
I have to admit, I was surprised that it came out looking as great as it did and that it tasted equally fantastic!
These homemade pizza crusts can be very time consuming, and I’m not gonna lie to ya, this one is no exception. But, at the end of the day, I have few choices in …….theeeee……. very small arena of gluten free crusts, so it’s another win for Team Katy-Ala-Surprise!
Furthermore……….
Poo loved it, and he hates cucumbers……will not touch them with a 10 ft. pole!
Katy’s Cucumber Pizza Crust
Crust Ingredients:
3 med-lg cukes seeded and cut up
1 egg or egg replacer of your choice
1/4 C onion, diced
1/2 t dill weed
1/2 t celery seed
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 C garbanzo flour or flour of choice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F** Line a pizza tray w/parchment paper. Seed, and chop cucumbers into chunks. Shred the cucumbers or put in food processor. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add cucumber. Sauté for about 20 minutes until tender. (No need to add water or oil) Drain in a fine colander, rinse with cold water to cool down. (At this point, it looks like a pile of mush, but trust!) Put into a thin, clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can extract.
In a mixing bowl, add the cucumbers and the rest of the ingredients and combine until well blended.
Spray the parchment paper with a bit of oil and using your finger tips, spread mixture all the way out to the outer edge of the pizza tray. Bake for 20 minutes, pull it out, flip it over, and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
Add your sauce and toppings and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
** Next time I make this, I will bake it at 425* as the crust didn’t quite get as crispy as I would have liked. You could still pick it up but it was slightly quaggy.
Next up……….Yellow squash pizza crust. Hey, why not?
