I had never made a pizza crust using plantains. One day Daryl was reading a blog by an expat and came across a recipe. Just maybe it is possible to have a gluten free pizza crust in our little town of Pedasi. During last trip here a chef made a hamburger bun out of plantain which was very good… and filling. Definitely something to be tried!
We bought two of the ripest plantains we could find, and then waited for them to turn black. Apparently they are too starchy if used before becoming black. It actually took quite a few days.
We have quite a lovely stove and oven. But as you can see, there are no temperature indicators for any of the dials. The stove top is fine as you can see what is happening. The oven is a different matter altogether.
If you look closely at the oven dial, there is one tiny black dot. That is my guide and I am saying it is somewhere around 350 degrees F. Mind you, it is totally a guess!
The ingredient list was quite short. So far, in this little town, we have been able to buy pretty well anything we have needed. Even Kirkland almond flour. As I have noted previously, anything imported is fairly pricy….but you can get it.
Peeling an over ripe plantain is so much easier than a green or yellow one. Once the black skin was peeled away, the plantain was still kind of firm, but easy to mash.
Not a Vitamix, but hey, it works.
Into the blender everything went, it ended up looking like pancake batter.
I think it is time to put the Christmas decoration away…haha
We made two sizes of ‘pizza’ shells.
Baking was a little iffy without knowing the oven temperature. I tried to do it so the shells were soft, but not too soft, baked but not over baked. And when you have no idea what that is supposed to look or feel like it’s tough! At least it didn’t burn.
A cheese grater would have made it look prettier.
The shells held up quite well. You could pick it up and eat it ‘just like a pizza’ and not need a fork and knife. I made a sandwich out of mine.
I am not sure that I will do it again as a pizza shell. It would work quite well as a dessert. For me, the very ripe plantain was too sweet, even with oregano in the batter.
Then we went for our daily walk along the beach, although we never thought to track the distance until part of the way back. We walked at least two kilometres each direction and passed one other couple. I’d say that is good social distancing with plenty of fresh air and exercise. The big bonus for me was the one meter elevation….and that was walking back ‘up’ to the car.
Cheers!
Ruth
ruthkennedysretirementblog 