Record Vegetable Pizza a la Elise
"Record
Pizza” has been made by our family for years, using Leksand's large,
round rye crispbread round “records” as a delicious, and
easy-to-make pizza crust.
We
grew up enjoying “Famous Pizza,” made authentically by Greek men
outside Boston. It was a special treat to watch them throw dough high
in the air, spinning it around to make their crusts. These men
invested their lives making pizza and took great pride in it. They
loved being the center of attention as they cooked and they loved
feeding people.
Fast
forward a few decades, to white dough conditioners combined with
highly processed and hybridized wheat, which turns most pizza crusts
into doughy white glue tasting a lot like cardboard. White pizza
crust sits in my small intestines like an indigestible lump of lead
and gives me a stomach ache. With the increasing digestive
sensitivity to lectins and gluten intolerance, it's better to avoid
wheat entirely these days, unless it's organic.
If
I go to a pizza parlor today, unless they have spelt crust, I usually
opt for just a bowl of topping – I ask for broccoli, sauteed in
olive oil, with garlic, oregano, basil and parmesan cheese. I skip
the crust entirely and feel much happier after the meal!
Rye,
while still containing lectins and gluten, is found to be much easier
to digest than wheat. It's also very high in fiber.
So
at home, Record Pizza makes a delectable, mouth-watering and
wonderfully hearty occasional meal. We've used canned salmon or
chicken to top our pizza, but most usually I just make it with lots
of vegetables and of course don't forget our family's favorite
topping, anchovies! Vegetarians can skip these salty little fish...
This
recipe takes about 30-40 minutes to assemble, bake and serve.
Here
are the ingredients you need:
Leksands
Rye Crispbread Rounds – they come with six or eight rounds to a
package. A portion for an adult is usually ¼ to ½ a pizza round,
depending on your appetite and size.
Leksands crackers come from Sweden, where they've been made since the 1920's!
A
jar or can of Organic tomato paste (tomatoes are genetically
modified today, so buy the organic to avoid GM tomatoes)
A
few cloves Garlic
Dried
Oregano, Basil, Rosemary, Dill Weed, Chili Powder – whatever
combination of herbs you have on hand
1
large organic carrot
A
few stalks of Bok Choy. Baby Bok Choy works well, too
-
1
medium onion, sliced very thin – although I show thick slices in
the photo
If
you don't care for onion, skip it. Add in finely sliced green or red
peppers, broccoli and feta cheese, sun-dried tomato, or whatever
topping you like may be substituted or added.
8-16
oz. Imported Havarti Cheese and some imported Parmesan or Romano –
I use Havarti because it melts the best, but a combination of
cheeses works fine. I've used Cheddar before. I like imported cheese
because Europe doesn't allow BGH (Bovine Growth Hormone) in their
milk. Wisconsin Cheeses are now selling without BGH but some of them
taste metallic to me. I like sheep milk cheeses a lot.
Plain Havarti Cheese is delicious, but this time I chose to use Havarti with Horseradish and Havarti with Dill:
A
can flat Anchovies – my 1/8th
Italian blood has to be celebrated. People either love or hate these
salty little fish!
It's
best if you prepare all of your vegetables before assembling the
pizza. Once the tomato paste is spread, the crust can begin to get
soggy. Avoid this by getting the pizza made and in the oven as
quickly as possible!
If
Congress has deemed Pizza a “vegetable” because of tomato paste,
my version is most definitely in the vegetable
category!!
Preheat
the oven to 400 degrees, and wash your vegetables.
Finely
dice your bok choy, grate the carrot.
Slice
an onion, a few cloves of garlic and grate the cheese.
Start
assembling the pizza by spreading ½ a jar of tomato paste on a record crust. One jar
makes two crusts.
Note:
I was visiting someone when I photographed this recipe, over a year
ago now. They used a toaster oven for baking and I had to slightly
break part of the round so it would fit in the oven – hence the
“mouse-chewed” appearance of the edge on one side of the otherwise round pizza crust!
Then
add sliced garlic and some herbs.
Cover
the crust with grated carrot.
Add
the bok choy.
Put
on the sliced onions, if you like them.
Top
it with the grated Havarti cheese.
Add
some finely grated parmesan or romano cheese.
Remember that
store-bought parmesan has cellulose added as an anti-caking agent
which dilutes the cheese flavor. Take a few extra minutes to grate
your own cheese to experience their full flavor!
The
Anchovies are placed evenly on the top of the pizza. My family fights
over these little fish...so we try to make sure every slice has an
anchovy!
Then
carefully slide the pizza in a pre-heated oven. I usually move the pizza on a cutting board. Bake at 400 for ten
minutes.
Use
a large knife and wooden cutting board to cut the pizza.
Voila!
You have a meal which aids digestion, a healthy body and mind!
My
mouth watered so badly I almost forgot to take a photo of the pizza
slices before eating them!
Warmly,
your friend in whole food,
Elise
To
Life! Real Food and Sincere Sustenance
“He
[the LORD] causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the
service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And
wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to
shine, and bread that strengtheneth man's heart.” ~ Psalm 104:14-15
