Pizza & Pasta

Cauliflower Pizza with Carpaccio, Butternut and Ricotta

Name: Cauliflower Pizza with Carpaccio, Butternut and Ricotta
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 - 4 people
Ingredients: 500g piece beef fillet, partially frozen; 500g butternut, peeled and diced; 150g ricotta cheese; 1/2 red onion, sliced into rings; 10 fresh thyme sprigs; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; Cauliflower pizza bases:; 2 +-750g cauliflower heads; 1 tsp olive oil; 1 egg; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 Tbsp origanum; 2 tsp basil; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 cup parmesan cheese; 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese; Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To help firm up the meatballs, put them on a plate, cover and place in the refrigerator until needed.

Method

Place a baking tray in the oven and pre-heat to 180°C/350°F.
Remove the leaves from the cauliflower heads, trim the stalks and cut into florets. Shred the cauliflower into rice size pieces using a food processor. This can also be done by hand using a grater.
To dehydrate the cauliflower, sprinkle the rice on a piece of oiled wax paper, place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove to cool and increase the oven temperature to 230°C/450°F. This step can also be done by microwaving the cauliflower rice for 4 to 5 minutes.
To further prevent the cauliflower bases from going soggy, place the warm cauliflower in a muslin cloth or dish towel and wring it to squeeze out any excess water.
Transfer to a bowl and mix in the olive oil, egg, cayenne pepper, origanum, basil, garlic powder and cheese and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Add the butternut cubes to an oven-safe dish, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and black pepper and roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until cooked through and caramelised on the outside. Place the dish on a low shelf so there is still space for the pizzas.
Divide the cauliflower mixture in half and transfer each half onto oiled sheets of wax paper. Smooth each rice heap out using the back of a large spoon to create two thin, round pizza bases.
Carefully slide the pizza bases by the wax paper onto the pre-heated baking tray (use 2 trays if it’s not big enough), place above the butternut and bake for 10 minutes.
To make the carpaccio, remove the partially frozen fillet from the freezer and thinly slice the beef into 1/2 cm slivers. One at a time, place each beef slice onto a piece of plastic wrap, top it with another piece of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet, gently pound the meat until it is paper thin.
Remove the pizzas from the oven, sprinkle half of the ricotta cheese and thyme over the crusts and return to bake for another 10 minutes or until the bases are golden and crispy around the edges.
To serve, top each cauliflower pizza with delicate carpaccio ribbons, roasted butternut, red onion rings and the remaining ricotta cheese and fresh thyme leaves. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve whilst hot.