I am in love with the phase T is in at the moment. He has miraculously opened himself to flavours like never before. So, I am really hoping that this isn’t just a phase, and his excitement and acceptance to different food only grows with time.
Pizza is on the menu for tonight, and I thought of ditching the good old tomato sauce for the toddler and going with something different. Sure the red sauce has a hint of tomato to it, but that’s about it.
I have made two kinds of sauces for T’s mini pizzas, one is the Béchamel (white sauce made with butter flour and milk) and the other is a Roasted Red Pepper and garlic, and these sauces are going to make their way on our pizzas too!
Béchamel:
Here’s what you need:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon of wholewheat flour
- 1/4 cup milk, heated
- Freshly ground pepper
- Salt
Method:
- Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don’t let it brown — about 2 minutes
- Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a boil
- Add salt and pepper to taste, lower the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more
- Remove from the heat
- Use as required
Tip: For later use, pour a film of milk over it to prevent a skin from forming.
Slather the pizza base with a generous amount of the sauce and top it up with veggies. This one’s topped with Zucchini and Spinach.
Serving: Two mini pizzas
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Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic
Here’s what you need:
- 1 big Red pepper
- 1/2 a tomato
- 1 clove of Garlic
- 1tablespoon of Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of cream or sour cream
- Freshly ground pepper
- Basil
- Salt to taste
Method:
- Coarsely chop the red pepper and garlic and rub the Olive oil and seasoning on it
- Chop the basil and add to the above. Let it coat well with the oil
- Pop it in the oven and bake till the pepper and tomato have gone soft
- Blitz with a hand blender, I like it coarse so I’ve not over done the blending
- Mix in the cream or sour cream
Slather the pizza base with a generous amount of the sauce and top with veggies. This ones topped with crushed Paneer and Basil.
Serving: Two mini pizzas