Vegan Cornucopia Pizza

Holy shiitake! There is so much stuff on that pie! I may have gone overboard with it, just a little, I admit. Hence the voluptuous outcome I decided to call this one the Vegan Cornucopia Pizza. The celebration of the never-ending shopping list and the abundance of toppings creating an incredible flavor profile. That doesn’t sound too bad. I promise everything is there for a reason.

Ingredients

Crust

• wheat flour
• graham flour
• dry yeast
• water
• salt
• sugar
• extra virgin olive oil

Toppings

• tomato purée
• white mushrooms
• garlic
• eggplant
• fennel
• red onion
• cherry tomatoes
• vegan mozzarella 
• capers
• fresh chili
• fresh basil
• black pepper
• vegan mayo
• frozen cranberries

Why use graham & white wheat in the crust?

The answer to this question is simple: I find it more interesting. Graham flour (coarse-ground whole wheat) adds color, crunch, fiber, and nutrients into the pizza and, when combined with white wheat, makes a tremendous chewy albeit soft pie. Among grains, wheat flour is unique because of its ability to produce gluten. This protein imparts strength and elasticity to dough and influences the texture of the crust. That is why kneading is essential to activate the gluten.

Knead it like you mean it!

What comes to pizza, I urge you to try different flour combinations and methods, to find out what you like and how different flour blends work. I believe that when you treat the ingredients you choose with love and put the right energy and intention to create something awesome behind it, you will end up with great food.

Umami mashup

First, I lather tomato puree all over the crust. Not too thinly but just right to form a base for the other flavors without making the crust soggy. It’s simple, vibrant, and recognizable. I like to use different forms of the same ingredient. When its tomato, I will add the purée, sun-dried tomatoes, and sweet and juicy fresh ones on top. This trick also works with spices and onions, preserves, and fresh fruit. The secret is in the different characteristics of an ingredient when brought together activates a great depth in the dish. This technique is a sure way to make sure satisfactory bites.

As we get to know each other better, you will notice that I adore mushrooms! Why? Because of the distinct flavor, meaty texture, and the emotional connection that I have with mushroom picking. If you like them too, be sure to check out my yummy Vegan Burger recipe that is oozing with umami and drool-worthy toppings!

Sometimes I hear people say that something is missing in vegan cooking and that it’s not satisfactory, and I believe it has everything to do with the lack of the umami. But don’t fret, there are endless ways to cook umami up in your vegan kitchen. It is found in tomato, mushrooms, mustard, miso paste, beets, fermented foods, and luckily in beer, to name a few. Also, by cooking the veggies in a certain way; for example, roasting will release the magical flavor.

Two-step baking

There is only one challenge with baking this pizza. If you consider the insane hunger that the idea of pizza it provokes to be one, then there are two. With this many toppings and conventional oven, there is a chance that you will end up with a one-dimensional pizza that lacks crunch. The solution to that is to do it in two stages. First, preheat the oven to 225-250 celsius with the baking tray in it to support the crust to get crunchy. Then transfer the pizza crust topped with only tomato purée, chopped garlic, and the mushrooms into the oven to pre-bake for 15 minutes. Then add pre-cooked eggplant and fennel, thinly sliced red onion, vegan mozzarella, and halved cherry tomatoes and pop it back into the oven.

 

Pre-cook some of the toppings for an extra layer of character

In this recipe, I’m pre-cooking eggplant and fennel to add texture and earthiness to the pizza. I find that especially eggplant tastes lovely when it’s cooked in thin slices on a hot grill with a generous amount of oil. Also, the griddle marks bring along the exquisite detail. Nobody wants to eat raw, woody, and dull-looking eggplant in their pizza, do they?

Fennel is a funny one, this family member of carrot and coriander is indigenous to the Mediterranean and used generously in Italian cooking tradition. I tend to use it in salads and as a fragrant side dish in addition to pizzas. In this recipe, you will need only the bulb. Thinly slicing and sautéing, it wakes up the delicate licorice-like flavor that it possesses and softens the stringy texture up a little. As eggplant is soft and tender and fennel is crunchy, they make a fantastic pair!

Finishing touches

This pizza seems already to carry plenty of flavors, but there are still a few things that I could not help but add. I think that the crucial part of creating depth in taste is to add some freshness, creaminess, and acidity. In this case, dollops of thick vegan mayo, fresh red onion, frozen cranberries, and, of course, some fresh basil. Grind some black pepper on top and have a go at it. Invite your favorite people, open a bottle of a fruity red or craft layers to round it up. Bon Appetit!

 

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