I needed food for movie night, and on a ship made up mostly of humans, pizza was an easy choice. Each “pie” could be customized to each person’s likes. One problem, though: I had no flour, ever since a massive food fight in the Tiger’s Den. Don’t ask. We’re still finding flour in engineering with no idea how it got there. Still, adaption is what Starfleet is about, so I looked around and found this little gem of a recipe in the database. It’s gluten free, so it won’t upset humanoid bellies with gluten processing problems. Also, the little tasty garbanzo beans are low in fat and high in protein. But I didn’t tell my shipmates that, especially as I watched the pizzas all disappear at near luminal speeds.
It serves four, and can be easily doubled or tripled. You won’t have leftovers.
- 2.5 cups of chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
( This can be bought or you can make your own. To grind your own, get some split garbanzo beans from a local ethnic store or ethnic section in the grocery store. Use the dry blade with your blender, VitaMix, or food processor. Use small amounts of the split beans, pulsing until fine like flour. )
- 2.5 cups water
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne works well, but can omit if you wish)
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon of your herbs of choice… any mixture of rosemary, thyme, parsley, basil, oregano, or paprika.
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- fresh vegetables, or whatever toppings you prefer
- shredded or sliced cheeses (your favorites, but I am partial to smoked provolone or gouda)
- olive or grapeseed oil ( for the pan)
In a large bowl, add all the dry items together and whisk til mixed. Slowly add the 2.5 cups water to the ddry items while whisking gently until well mixed and no lumps remain. Set aside and let the mixture ‘rest’ for thirty minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F. Cut up the vegetables, and have the goodies ready to put on the pizza.
When the oven is close to temperature, put a tablespoon or two of olive oil onto two pizza pans and place them into the oven to heat. Keep an eye out to make sure the oil doesn’t smoke. Pull pans out after a few minutes and pour equal measures of batter into each pan. Gently stir in the rest of the oil and put into the oven for 15-20 minutes until the edges are a little brown and the center is cracked and firm. Pull out and apply your favorite sauce, cheese, vegetables, and toppings. Back in the oven it goes for another 10-15 minutes.
This recipe serves four people or one snack for a sehlat. Make yours one or he won’t leave yours alone,and when a 300+ kilogram creature wants something, he gets it.
If you want reference pictures of what this delight looks like, go here…
