Is there really such a thing as healthy pizza?
When we think of comfort food we think of fried, unhealthy and "bad" food, but it doesn't need to be this way. Comfort food is exactly that - kick off the shoes and get cosy at slumber time with wonderful, filling food. Those who travel know how hard it i
I was once really jet-lagged as I arrived late at the Royal Orchid Sheraton feeling guilty about giving into my pizza craving. The wonderful cheese pizza filled the spot, but it didn’t make me feel good the next day.
The problem with pizza today is that it’s greasy and full of wheat. Many of us are becoming gluten-intolerant and our numbers are ever growing. Many restaurants offer gluten-free options now. The reason is that, back in the 1960s, wheat was genetically modified so it would grow faster and in any climate. Farmers loved the innovation but it was bad news for the consumer. It makes you feel bloated, promotes bingeing and offers little benefit nutritionally.
So I have developed comfort-food pizzas that have no wheat or cheese. I can hear you thinking, “No cheese in my pizza? That’s crazy!” But did you know that pizza originally had no cheese on it? There were plenty of toppings, but cheese wasn’t one of them. That was added long after the pizza emigrated from Italy to the US at the beginning of the 20th century. The Neptune pizza baked in Italy to this day is a thin crust coated in tomato-based sauce with lots of seafood.
With my pizza, you won’t miss the cheese, I promise you. Cheese is high in fat and many Asians are lactose-intolerant because the enzyme depletes once they’re weaned off of breast milk.
THAI PIZZA
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 large tomato, sliced
1 small bird’s-eye red chilli
Ready-made pizza dough
4 tablespoons tomato puree
1 tin tomatoes, blended
250g mixed seafood
6 to 8 anchovy fillets
2 cloves crushed garlic
Handful fresh basil leaves, Thai if possible
Handful fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
METHOD
Mix tomatoes and chilli in a blender until smooth and place in a large bowl together with the tomato puree and garlic. Mix well.
Spread the mixture on the pizza dough. Evenly place the tomatoes, seafood and anchovies and add the basil. Bake in an oven for 15 to 20 minutes (check the pizza packaging about the cooking time) and serve with a salad.
So pizza doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure. Have it with a glass of wine and enjoy the thin crust, full of flavour. Be creative and make it your way.
BLACK OLIVE PIZZA
Serve 2
INGREDIENTS
100g almond flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
90ml water
2 eggs
TOPPING:
1 tin (320g) drained, pitted black olives
1 clove garlic
Handful fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
METHOD
Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees.
Mix the flour, eggs, water and three tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl. Kneed it carefully like dough. Place all the toppings in a blender until chunky.
Flatten out the dough to create two pizzas and divide the toppings over both. Cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave in the oven for a further three or four minutes.
_ British celebrity chef Daniel Green loves to create healthy recipes that are easy to follow. His column “Make It Today” will share his passion of good food that is low in fat but modern and full of flavour and will run every last Sunday of the month.
