Ekadasi Buckwheat Pizza

 

Ingredients

For the dough;

• 1 cup of buckwheat flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ tsp mixed dried herbs
• ½ tsp baking powder (ensure that it is gluten-free)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• ¼ cup of soda water

For the Tomato Sauce:

• 3 fresh medium tomatoes chopped into quarters
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp of asafoetida (must be free of wheat especially on Ekadasi) (Wheat-free available from Wholefood Markets)
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil
• Freshly ground sea salt and pepper for seasoning according to taste
• ½ medium red and yellow pepper deseeded and chopped into thin strips
• A handful of black olives
• A handful of freshly thinly sliced courgettes
• 75g grated matured cheddar cheese
• A few slices of mozzarella cheese
• The drizzle of olive oil.

Method

To make the dough;

Place the flour and the salt, baking powder, dried herbs & sugar. Mix well. Make a well in the middle and pour in the melted butter. Add in the soda water and work into a dough. Add a few sprinkles of additional soda water (if needed) should the mixture get dry. Knead it for a few minutes until soft and smooth. Keep covered in a warm place for a couple of hours.

• After a couple of hours, place on a clean surface and roll slowly into a round circle. Use additional buckwheat flour for dusting to prevent the dough from sticking underneath the surface. Carefully slide it on the pizza baking tray. Prick the dough with a fork a few times.

For the tomato sauce;

• Preheat oven to 150Oc.
• Place the chopped tomatoes into a food blender and blend until smooth. Heat the oil in a non-stick saucepan. Once hot, place the cumin seeds until it darkens a few shades. Add the asafoetida and fry for 5 seconds. Add the blended tomatoes into the sauce and stir. Add in the freshly chopped basil, squeeze of lemon juice, sugar, and seasonings (according to taste). Cook for a further 10 minutes on moderate heat making sure the sauce doesn’t burn. Stir occasionally. Cook until it resembles like a thick sauce. Remove from heat.
• Spread evenly on the pizza base along with the toppings and sprinkle the grated cheese. Drizzle across the pizza with olive oil to give it moisture.
• Place in the oven and bake until golden brown for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with additional chopped basil.
• Serve warm with a nice salad!