Tuesday, February 11, 2014

A Childhood Favorite Goes Paleo

I'm originally from Rhode Island - the land of hot weiners, coffee milk, bubblers and pizza strips.  If you've never made a stop over in our nation's tiniest state, I may as well have been speaking Russian there, but hopefully I've intrigued you enough that you at the very least keep reading.

A pizza strip is a sauce-covered slice of focaccia bread available at any Italian bakery in the greater Rhode Island area.  The sauce takes on a garlic-y, tomato paste-like quality while the crust, if made correctly, it's slightly chewy and crisp on the edges (the edge pieces are always the best).  When the primary component of a dish is bread, you wouldn't think it would be easily paleo-ified, but though my Pintrest perusing, I was inspired to attempt a recreation devoid of gluten and processed flour.  The result was a delicious doughy strip that while not a perfect approximation, certainly curbed that reminiscent craving.




Paleo RI-Style Pizza Strips

Foccacia
6 large eggs
1/2 cup grass fed butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/8 cup arrowroot starch
1/8 cup tapioca starch
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
Nonstick cooking spray

Sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons sea salt
9-10 grinds of freshly cracked black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
Grated romano cheese [optional garnish]

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray
- Combine eggs, butter and vinegar in a large mixing bowl
- Sift together flour, starches, salt and baking soda, slowly incorporating into the wet ingredients
- Fold in garlic and herbs once the dough has incorporated
- Spread the mixture over your baking sheet with a rubber spatula
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown
- In a small saucepan, combine sauce ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes
- Once the crust has baked, spread an even layer of sauce across the top and return to the oven for 10 additional minutes
- Once baked, allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing
- Garnish with grated romano cheese if desired





No comments:

Post a Comment