The Salamino 'Pizza'
And the pizza of choice for 'the lads' was the Salamino. A tasty pizza bianco (no tomato sauce) topped with ricotta, salami.
After hearing this story, the Salmino quickly became one of my faves too. Simple and oh so tasty.
You may be wondering why it's 'Pizza' in inverted commas. It's because while this cauliflower version of the Italian classic is tasty and satisfying, it is quite different to real pizza.
Just wanted to be upfront about that because there's nothing worse than having high expectations and being disappointed!
Ingredients
- 500 g (1lb) cauliflower, about 1 small
- 100 g (3.5oz) grated parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 100 g (3.5oz) almond meal
- 200 g (7oz) smooth ricotta
- 8 slices salami
- 1 handful grated parmesan extra for topping
- small bunch basil leaves
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 200C (400F). Blitz your cauliflower using your food processor until it looks a bit like fine couscous. Or chop as finely as possible.
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Add parmesan, eggs, almond meal and a really generous pinch of salt. Stir until combined.
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Line a baking tray with foil or baking paper. Tip the cauli mixture onto the lined tray then using your hands smooth into a pizza shaped circle about 28cm (11in) in diameter. I like to make a 'crust' by shaping the edges to be taller than the middle.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pizza is browned and feels springy when touched.
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Dollop on the ricotta, salami and finish with the parmesan. Bake a further 5-10 minutes or until you're happy. Serve topped with basil leaves.
Recipe Notes
Variations
nut-free - replace almond meal with bread crumbs, ground sunflower seeds or extra parmesan.
higher fiber - add 1 tablespoon psyllium husks (or a teaspoon psyllium powder). martian 'green pizza' - replace cauliflower with broccoli.
do ahead - you can bake the base ahead of time and then just continue from step 5. Will keep in the fridge for a week or so or in the freezer for months. Defrost before baking.
smaller pizzas - feel free to make into whatever size (or shape) you like. Smaller pizzas won't need quite as long, so check after 20 minutes. I often make 2 pizzas so we can vary the toppings.
paleo (grain, legume & dairy-free) - replace parmesan in crust with extra almond meal and replace mozzarella with extra salami.
short on time - use commercial pizza bases instead.
carb lovers / more substantial - use a regular pizza dough .
dairy-free - skip the cheese in the base. And use a tomato sauce instead of the mozzarella.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
cauliflower – ungrated cauli will keep for weeks in a plastic bag in the fridge. Can be frozen but the texture isn’t as good when defrosted.
parmesan – keeps for longer in a chunk so only grate when you’re cooking. I wrap in waxed paper or baking paper and then keep in an airtight container or a sealed ziplock bag. I prefer this over just wrapping in cling wrap because the air in the container allows the cheese to breathe and not sweat but the container / plastic bag prevents from drying out in the dry fridge air. Either way will keep for months.
almond meal - keep them in the pantry.
eggs – will keep in the fridge for weeks or use for another meal.
ricotta – unopened tubs of ricotta usually have a shelf life of a few weeks. Otherwise use for another meal. Great on toast with honey for a decadent breakfast or use instead of cream with desserts.
salami - freeze it.
basil – make basil oil by packing washed and dried leaves in a clean jar and covering with extra virgin olive oil. Or you can freeze the leaves, they’ll wilt but will still be delicious.
Prepare Ahead
You could cook the base ahead and either fridge or freeze then add the toppings and finish the baking just before serving. Will keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks but the cauliflower flavour gets stronger with time. Can be frozen.
Have fun in the kitchen!
With love,
Jules x
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Hi, I am confused about the psyllium – it’s not on the ingredient list. How much should be used? Can almond meal be substituted by psyllium or should both be used? Otherwise, what could be a good substitute for almond meal? It’s hard to find it where I live. Thanks!
Sorry for being confusing Anne!
You don’t need psyllium. However if you like you can add 1 tablespoon just to boost the fiber content.
As I said in the nut-free variation – you can use soft bread crumbs, or ground sunflower seeds (I grind them in a coffee grinder I keep for spices). I haven’t tried the extra parmesan option but it should work…
Jx
Thanks Jules! I look forward to trying the cauli-pizza-base ;)
I just can’t help myself imagining myself rocking in the kitchen with your recipe. It looks so good and delicious. Your Salamino Cauliflower ‘Pizza’ Recipe is perfect for a food lover like me.
Yay for food lovers Alexa!
Have fun in the kitchen
Jx
Thanks for the salamino cauliflower pizza recipe.
You’re welcome Riddhima!
Jx
We tried this recipe baked on foil and loved the taste but had trouble getting the pizza off of the foil.
Tonight we tried it again on parchment paper and have officially added cauliflower pizza to our list of staple recipes! For the toppings, I made a hybrid of this recipe with your pea-pesto Cauli pizza. I wanted a low carb pizza with a pesto base and spicy meat. Put garden basil, arugula, parsley and garlic with olive oil in the hand blender to make the green sauce. Added sautéed mushrooms, onion, and andouille (we didn’t have pepperoni) and grated Parmesan. My husband immediately started talking about what we can do to make this more often.
We used frozen grated cauliflower from Costco, thawed 4 minutes in the microwave and draining/ squeezing excess water before making your crust. Pre-sautéed veggies is the only other thing I’d do to make our variation a weeknight meal. Thank you for bringing pizza back into this low carb household’s repertoire!
Oh wonderful Emily!
Thanks for reporting back:)
My next plan is to try a zucchini version