Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!

Americans have a love affair with Pizza. The pizza we know and love in America is a bit different than Italian style pizza.

When my daughter grasped pretty quickly that she could no longer have pizza, she asked if she could have stromboli, or a calzone from the pizza store. "No Sweetie", I said softly. Basically there is precious little Lillie can eat from the pizza store. With Rosie's dairy allergy, there is not much of a reason for our family to eat there anymore.

Passing the pizza store on the way home yesterday I looked in the window at faces of happy children. I wish my children could do such a simple thing. But Hashem has given us all challenges in life, some more private, some more public which set us apart.

I bought Lillie a Passover Pizza made with a potato crust. It was pretty good and reminded me of a pizza I created with Manischewitz's Mini Potato Knish Mix, which is Kosher for Passover.

Below are two gluten-free pizza recipes I think you will enjoy.

If you wish to make this dish dairy-free, substitute a gluten-free soy cheese for the dairy cheese called for in the recipe.

Portabella-Artichoke Potato Crust Pizza

1 box Manischewitz Mini Potato Knish Mix (6 ounces)
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup marinara sauce
1 large portabella mushroom, thinly sliced (or 1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms)
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
water
ground black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together knish according to package directions using eggs and 1 1/2 cups cold water. Allow to thicken 8 minutes.

Spray a 12” round non-stick baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread knish batter into pan, pressing to edges. Brush with olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Remove pizza crust from oven and spread sauce on crust leaving a ½ -inch margin all around. Layer pizza with mushrooms, cheese, artichoke hearts, basil and ground black pepper to taste. Bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and begins to brown.

Cut into 8 wedges and serve.

Serves 4 people, 2 pieces per person.

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Greek Pizza with Tamale Crust

Crust:
2 ½ cups MASECA corn masa flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups boiling water
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Topping:
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup diced, canned tomatoes
1 –6 ounce bag baby spinach leaves, washed and patted dry*
2 jarred fire roasted peppers, cut in strips
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup pitted kalamata or green olives, sliced
1/2 Bermuda onion, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons fresh basil leaves or 2 teaspoons dried basil, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 425F degrees. Brush a 14-round pizza baking pan or 9x13 baking pan with olive oil*. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl stir together corn masa flour, baking soda and spices. Pour boiling over mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Add oil and grated cheese, stir to combine. Spread mixture onto bottom and up sides of prepared baking pan. Brush with 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Bake in pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes until firm and lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes.

Spread garlic cloves over crust. Evenly spread tomatoes over crust. Coarsely chop spinach leaves and sprinkle over tomatoes. Arrange pepper strips over spinach. Sprinkle with feta cheese and olives. Arrange onion slices on top. Sprinkle with herbs and spices. Bake at 425F degrees for 20-25 minutes, until cheese begins to brown.

Serves 6

*If unavailable, fresh, leafy spinach or a 10 ounce box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, may be used