Quiche Crust Pizza; Tuna & Roasted Red Pepper Pizza

    A crustless quiche pizza was appealing to me.  Especially since our whole gluten-free experiences in July.  Reading through the instructions, it sounded to me like a giant omelet with all of the ingredients on top of the egg, instead of rolled up inside.

QUICHE-CRUST PIZZA

Adapted from The Everything Pizza Cookbook by Belinda Hulin

8 large eggs

4 egg whites

1 cup evaporated milk

1 green onion

¼ cup chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

4 ounces kielbasa sausage

½ teaspoon dried oregano

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350º F.  Blend the eggs, whites, evaporated milk, green onion, parsley, salt, and pepper together until the frothy.  Spray a deep dish pizza pan or large cake pan with cooking spray.  Pour the egg mixture into prepared pan.  Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top of the egg mixture.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove quiche from the oven and top with the kielbasa, tomatoes, oregano, and mozzarella.  Return to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes.

     It was a little disconcerting that the egg mixture was so green.  I guess I should have expected it, but it was still a strange color to me.  The pictures don't really do it justice, but the mixture was definitely green.

   

The "batter" for the quiche was really runny.  I was worried that it wasn't going to set up.  But, I kept going with the directions in the recipe and poured it into the prepared pan.  It barely fit, and my pan is an inch and a half deep!

Once the eggs were in the pan, I sprinkled over the cheese.  I thought it might sink, but it stayed floating on top (at least before I put it in the oven).

The eggs became even more green after baking, and the cheese disappeared into the meat of the quiche.

While it was baking, I prepared the toppings.  I started with the tomatoes.  I learned a great trick for speeding up halving grape tomatoes.  I can't remember if it was from Martha Stuart or Rachel Ray, but some t.v. personality suggested putting the tomatoes in a Tupperware lid and place another lid over the top of them.  Put slight pressure on the top lid with one hand, and cut horizontally between the two lids, and you have perfect halves.

The recipe originally called for ham, but in an effort to de-clutter my refrigerator, I decided to use some leftover kielbasa that I already had.

I was a little worried about the tuna pizza, but I was trying to keep an open mind.  I have never been a fan of canned tuna.  It specifically called for tuna from a can, but I couldn't bring myself to buy that.  I bought the tuna that comes in a foil pack.  Somehow, that seems a little more "fresh" and less fishy to me than it's tin counterpart.

Although she didn't voice it, Pam had reservations, too.  I could tell by the look on her face when I asked her to assemble the pizza.  It was there for a moment, and then it was gone - replaced by the forced smile she gets when she doesn't agree with a process but is not going to rock the boat.

TUNA AND ROASTED RED PEPPER PIZZA

Adapted from All the Best Pizza by Joie Warner

Dough:

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3¼ cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup olive oil

Toppings:

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces canned or bagged Albacore Tuna

4 ounces roasted red sweet pepper, chopped

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces kalamata olives

4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Make the crust:  Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in a medium bowl.  Set aside for about five minutes to allow the yeast to form a thin layer of foam on the top of the water.  Meanwhile, combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Add the olive oil and yeast mixture and run at medium speed until the dough comes together and begins to cling to the hook.  Remove from the mixer and form into a ball.  Place the ball in a medium-sized, greased bowl.  Cover loosely with a towel or a piece of waxed paper and set aside to rise. It should double in size in about an hour.  Divide dough in half.  Reserve half for another use.

Assemble:  Preheat oven to 450º F with pizza stone inside if using.  Roll or stretch dough out to a 15-16 inch circle on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel or board.  Brush the dough all over with the tablespoon of olive oil.  Sprinkle the tuna evenly over the dough.  Scatter the peppers over the tuna.  Salt and pepper the pizza.  Arrange the kalamatas over the peppers.  Cover everything with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted, starting to brown, and somewhat bubbly.  Slice and serve.

I had prepped all of the ingredients Wednesday night, so it was easy to pass off all of the pieces to Pam and have her assemble.  I had actually roasted sweet peppers instead of using the jarred ones, because I had some, and they were thinking about become inedible.  In other words, they were no longer at the peak freshness.  Roasting was easy.  I just cut them in half, discard the seeds, and laid them on a baking sheet with the insides down.  I put them in a preheated oven set to broil on high for a couple of minutes, until the skins started to char somewhat.  I took them out of the oven and placed them in a plastic zipper bag and seal the bag.  After they were cool, I was able to remove them from the bag and slip most of the charred skins off of the peppers.  

   

I really watched the timing on this pizza.  I was concerned that if the tuna were to cook too long, it may become fishy, and I certainly didn't want that.  We pulled it out of the oven as soon as it started to brown around the edges.

We were pleasantly surprised by this pizza.  The tuna was not fishy at all.  It was tender and a slightly sweet.  The roasted peppers complimented the flavor of the tuna, and the olives were a nice contrast to its richness.  Even Pam thought it was delicious (of course, what is she going to say - I made it!).

Gluten Free Sausage Mushroom Pizza that Jennifer made

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