Today, you are all invited to a buffet party. For the occasion, I made a tray of red mini pizzas, to be served along with the recipes from my colleagues in the Light and Tasty Team, which, as always, you’ll find linked at the end. And you’ll discover, surprise surprise, that the list of recipes is richer than usual because today we are celebrating an anniversary!
These days, our Monday column – which I have been participating in for (only) three years – is celebrating 10 years. Ten years during which every Monday without interruption we have proposed our recipes to you, all dedicated to light, healthy, natural cooking (or at least we’ve tried 😊).
During this decade, many bloggers have participated in the column, some for short periods, others for longer. One of them, the legendary Elena, has been here from day one without interruption (and deserves a special celebration just for that!).
And so, thanks to a brilliant idea by Elena, we decided to invite our former Team adventure mates to our buffet, each with their own recipe cooked for the occasion.
The buffet table is set, there is something for every taste!
Are you ready? Grab a plate and a napkin, and help yourself!
😃
Ah, maybe it’s a good idea to add something to drink on the buffet table as well… I’ll take care of it!! (but only non-alcoholic drinks, eh! 😀). Choose from these three ideas! 👇👇👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 500 g type 2 flour
- 150 liquid sourdough
- 250 g water
- 20 g extra virgin olive oil
- 80 tomato purée
- aromatic herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, tarragon)
- green pepper, chili pepper, capers (optional)
Tools
- Planetary mixer
- Baking tray
- Baking paper
- Spatula
Steps
For these red mini pizzas, I prepared a very simple dough, made only with type 2 flour, water, a little oil, and liquid sourdough. Exceptionally, compared to my recent habits (the habit of using leftover sourdough because I always have a lot), this time I did a semi-refreshment of the sourdough before using it.
Pour 150 g of liquid sourdough into the planetary mixer bowl.
Add 50 g of flour and 50 g of water.
Mix well with a spoon or spatula.
Let it rest until a good number of bubbles form on the surface (in this case, it took 2 hours).
At this point, pour the remaining 450 g of flour, two tablespoons of oil, and 180 g of water and start kneading with the dough hook.
I added the remaining 20 g of water in two steps (10+10 g) at the end of the kneading process, after evaluating the consistency of the dough.
☝ It is always a good practice not to use all the water (or other liquids) indicated in the recipes right away. Always consider some variables, particularly that the flour’s absorption capacity is not always the same.
Kneading time: 10 minutes at speed 2.
When the dough has doubled in size (after about 8 hours), divide it into 12 or more portions (if you want to make them smaller than mine) and gently flatten them with your fingertips.
Place the mini pizzas on a baking tray covered with baking paper.
Distribute a teaspoon of tomato purée on each mini pizza and add basil, oregano, or other aromatic herbs to taste.
A small drizzle of oil is optional.
Bake the whole wheat red mini pizzas in the oven at 392°F for 20-25 minutes.
I shouldn’t say it (because I’m biased 😄) but they are excellent! Our whole wheat red mini pizzas here were a hit, and they were so soft that someone (but I will never say who!) cut them in half and filled them! A good idea to make mini filled sandwiches for the next buffet, don’t you think?
And here is a plate of stacked mini pizzas ready for the buffet, with mixed herbs: thyme, oregano, basil, tarragon, and chili pepper, some with capers, and others with green pepper. The green pepper fits perfectly! and indeed they disappeared first!
Salt-Free Tips
Remember that I cook without adding salt 😉 If you want to know more, I invite you to read my article Cooking without Salt, My Journey and to join my group.
If you’re interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Reduce salt gradually, the palate needs to get used to it slowly and should not notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granulate
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that do not disperse flavors (grilling, parchment, steaming, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Allow yourself to break the rule sometimes. It’s good for the mood and helps to persevere.
If you don’t want or can’t give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
Follow Me!
On my Facebook page, on my Pinterest boards, in my two groups: Catia’s group, in the kitchen and beyond and Just what I was looking for! And if you want… subscribe to my Newsletter
Light and Tasty Recipes
Light and Tasty Recipes
And now here are all the recipes that my colleagues from the Light and Tasty Team have prepared for this buffet party:
Carla Emilia: Cod, potato, and tomato patties
Daniela: Swirls with sun-dried tomatoes and almonds
Elena: Lemon and ricotta cake
Milena: Phyllo dough triangles with pumpkin and mushrooms and avocado sauce
Serena: Buffet salad
And below you will find the special guest recipes. Thank you all for participating! 🤩
Cinzia: Chocolate cake with rice flour
Consu: Vegan pumpkin muffins
Eva: Savory carrot pancakes
Maria Grazia: Cuttlefish and artichokes
Mary: Baked frittatas with pumpkin and mushrooms
Simona: Buckwheat cookies with honey, pine nuts, and tonka bean (sugar-free)
Tania: Baked pears
