2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge - K is for Kale - Gluten free vegan kale pizza with grilled vegetables

Yes - gluten free and vegan food can taste amazing! 

So I have been looking at this gluten free cauliflower pizza base for a while. Could you do the same with kale, and make it vegan as well? Why not!

Recipe

200g   Raw weight kale with large stalks removed

50g     Silken tofu

25g     Pine nuts

1/4tsp Nutmeg

1/2tsp Salt

Crushed black pepper to taste

 

1. First wash the kale then steam for about 4 minutes till wilted & soft. I do this by removing from the water it has been soaking in to remove any dirt. There should be enough water left on the leaves to steam it when you put a lid on the pan. Once it is cooked leave to chill. 

2. Place kale into a tea towel and squeeze out the water left inside - this helps the pizza base bind together. 

3. Whizz the strained kale in a food processor with the other ingredients till you have a fine texture. 

4. Form into a pizza base shape on a baking tray and non stick baking mat. 

5. Bake the base in a pre-heated oven @ 180 oC for 35 minutes (yes it really does take that long to dry it out). 

6. Take the base out of the oven and add your toppings. 

7. Replace in oven for 5 - 10 minutes to cook the toppings. 

8. Remove from oven and delve in!

For my topping I added neapolitan sauce, caramelised red onion, grilled butternut squash, asparagus, olives and roasted peppers & sprinkled with pinenuts.
Next time I'll try adding a little tapioca flour as well to firm it up a bit more.......

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Wedding catering at Brockworth Court Tithe Barn, Gloucestershire

There are lots of houses in the Cotswolds called Dove Cottage or Dove House - a few hundred years ago they were kept for their meat. In a lot of houses and barns you see dove holes in the stone walls - but here at Brockworth Court Tythe Barn was a real dovecote. Makes a great talking point as this is where the guests were congregating for their reception drinks. 

Edible flower pots on the table! When I was clearing up the next morning all these had gone - they must have had a serious sugar rush!

Roast butternut squash soup with beetroot pesto served in a bread bowl - do you ever get so hungry you can eat the bowl? 

See how to make the bowls here.

Gill and Anton put together the other starter: ham hock, broad bean, mint and basil pearl barley risotto with beetroot pesto

Matador pie for the main course - similar to this one from a wedding a few years ago. This time we served it with dauphinoise potato, french beans and red wine braised red cabbage. At the tasting they said it was the matador pie that first switched them on to us - they had had the pieminister version at another wedding they had been to but much preferred ours. Not one to argue!
There was also a haddock, tiger prawn and mussell pie with sweet potato mash topping and a meditteranean vegetable pie with crispy filo topping.
When we were clearing up the next day there were compliments from the parents of the bride and groom The pies were the talk of the wedding apparently!

Trio of desserts - strawberry and gooseberry crumble tart, lychee and pommegranate panna cotta and chocolate & blackcurrant brownie

Related posts 

Other weddings we have done

Matador pie 2011

Lychee and pomegranate panna cotta 

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Canapes, asparagus wrapped in parma ham, beef en croute and meringues - 40th birthday catering near Stratford on Avon

Duck satay - the fastest (to be eaten) canapé in the west

Vegetarian alternative version - halloumi satay - so good!

Chorizo and butternut squash filo tart (above before cooking, below finished article)

Home cured trout for another canape - spoon of trout gravadlax and cauliflower carpaccio - another winner!

The starter they had requested - asparagus wrapped in parma ham with hollandaise. We half roasted the asparagus, wrapped it in parma ham and flashed it back in the oven for 5 (well more like 8 by the time everyone had got settled) minutes to finish cooking & crisp the ham. Not shy with the hollandaise - I hate it when you don't get enough.

Fillet of beef en croute - seen here before the pastry lids went on.  Chicken liver pate, leeks and creamed wild mushrooms on top. There was also a vegetarian version, a vegetarian version made at the last minute with no mushrooms (allergy... luckily I took spare pastry to the venue), a gluten free version made with gluten free pastry and 2 no sauce. Phew - plating up was fun. Make sure you have different pastry shapes on top of each so you know what's what.

They had requested this classic dessert - strawberries, meringues and cream all served separately. 

Meringues earlier in the day. "But how is it your's aren't brown?" asked one of the guests as we were plating up.  The secret - turn the oven down as low as it can go and leave the doors open tied with string so they dry out rather than cook. You can also put in the oven, switch off and leave overnight, but there's only so many hours in the day.......

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Country feast barbecue wedding catering with yurts near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire

Marquee weddings - all very nice, but if you're after a wow factor is has to be a yurt. This was a wedding we catered for back at the beginning of June - a whole lifetime ago, but only if you measure in terms of food.

Yurts came from Yurts for Life - the one above was a separate children's tent - with a couple of entertainers keeping the children happy while the adults grazed on canapés by the lake. They had their own much larger yurt (in the background below).

To help keep the budget down we brought along our own gazebo to turn into a field kitchen.

Scallops wrapped in pancetta the night before

Thai style fish and fishless cakes (cheese, onion and sage)

Barbecue with a view. Sausages from Home Farm about 2 miles away as the crow flies made from their Gloucester Old Spot/ Berkshire breed pigs. Trying to get everything cooked before the rain set in....... 

Herby Madgetts Farm chicken wrapped asparagus  - see recipe link here

Harissa marinaded Home Farm lamb steaks and burgers too - keeping it local with real food!

Salad of grilled butternut squash, rocket, pommegranate, orange and  toasted almonds

Nicoise salad

There was also cous cous. We served all this on platters/ bowls which the waitresses tiook to the tables for guests to serve themselves family style - a great way to get everyone talking & make a more informal atmosphere.

Tomatoes - local are best - grown about 6 miles away from the wedding

Eton mess served in learge bowls one per table. Strawberries grown in the next door county (Herefordshire)

We made the eton mess a larger version of the shotglass eton mess below served at a dinner party a few months ago - i.e. separate. Halved/ quartered strawberries with strawberry coulis at the bottom, whipped cream with vanilla piped on top and crushed meringue on top. Looks much better I think when you mix it yourself at the table as you eat.

We also made large lemon tarts - again for guests to share at the table. What a feast! 

And after all this? It was time for a late night hog roast with guests - which became quite welcome as guests sheltered from the rain which fell later on in the evening (lovely British summer......)

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Gift voucher for a dinner party cooked in your home (2)

"I was looking for an unusual gift voucher..... and found yours...."  That was 4 years ago. The lady buying the voucher was buying it for her sisters birthday - you can see the meal we cooked for her here. She enjoyed it so much she in turn brought a gift voucher for her brother which I served a month ago near Bath. Keep it in the family!

Blacksticks Blue cheesecake and the ever popular smoked salmon blinis

When you live in Britain you have to make the most of those balmy evenings - and this was one! The guests gathered outside on the terrace for drinks and canapés while they watched their meal come together in the kitchen.

Trio of smoked trout - Ballottine of salmon wrapped in smoked trout, smoked trout tartare and smoked trout fillet on courgette carpaccio

Smoking the trout fillet before I left - this is something you can't do at the venue - who wants the smoke billowing through their house?

Honey and lavender marinated leg of lamb

Leg of lamb for the main course - marinated in honey, lavender, soy, grain mustard, five spice and a few secret ingredients. Served with crushed Jersey royals - just coming into season at that time

Salad of grilled butternut squash, asparagus, feta and pomegranate with lime and olive oil dressing 

The good thing about large desserts you can serve yourself at the table is you take as much as you like! And of course you get left overs for the next day - they had a barbecue the next day.

Large passionfruit panna cotta - see 'recipe' here

Large apple tarte tatin - it was virtually demolished!

 See more info on our gift vouchers here.

Related posts

Gift voucher for a dinner party cooked in your home (1)

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Cheese scones topped with camembert, Pancetta & butternut squash tartlets, florentines, banana upside down cake - buffet lunch delivery

There's more to sandwiches than just sandwiches right?
For these ones we made cheese scones, cut them in half and topped them with camembert and raw apple mixed with vinaigrette (stops them going brown).
Liked the florentines too - years sinced I'd made any.

Cheese and apple scones 

Pancetta, butternut squash and sage tartlets - no cheese in these -  you can't have cheese in everything and they are nice as they are. 

Banana and mango upside down cake. Same recipe as the pineapple just changed slightly.

Cranberry and apricot florentines.  Used this recipe  just changed  for cranberries and apricots

Fruit plate for a more healthy option - watermelon, pineapple, fresh coconut, kiwi, blueberries

Related posts

Other buffet lunches we have served

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