This is a healthier alternative to pizza - it's big on flavour and very colourful. Chargrilling the asparagus and spring onion adds a whole new dimension to the flavour. This chickpea flatbread hails from Italy, where it is also known as "socca"
Ingredients
Chickpea Flatbreads
1½ cups chickpea flour
pinch sea salt and pepper
1½ cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
Smoked Peas
3 shallots, finely chopped
olive oil, for frying
1½ cups frozen peas
¼ cup vegetable stock
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp liquid smoke (or ½ tsp smoked paprika)
pinch of salt and pepper
Toppings
8 asparagus tips, trimmed and washed
8 spring onions, topped and tailed ( I used 3 shallots )
½ cup frozen broad beans, defrosted and skinned
zest of ½ a lemom
3 Tbsp "Cream Cheese" (find recipe in Vegan 100)
Instructions
First make the chickpea flatbread better. Put the flour and seasoning into a mixing bowl. Whisk the water and olive oil into the flour. The mixture should have a thick batter. Cover the bowl and pop in the fridge for 20 mins while you make your toppings.
To make the smoked peas, saute the shallots in small saucepan over med heat, until soft.
Add the peas, stock and lemon juice and heat through until the peas are piping hot. Using a hand mixer, blend until smooth. Gaz likes a bit of texture, so he doesn't blitz it all the way.
Add the liquid smoke and the seasoning, stir to combine.
Heat the griddle pan until smoking hot, then add a little olive oil.
Grill the asparagus and spring onions quickly until lightly charred, then remove from the heat and set aside. Make sure your pan is really hot - you just want to char the outside of the asparagus, not cook it.
Preheat the grill and head a 28cm (11 inch) ovenproof, non-stick frying pan over low heat. Add a little olive oil and ladle in all of the chickpea batter and cook for two minutes.
Carefully transfer the pan and place under the grill for two minutes (this saves you having to flip it!)
After two minutes, carefully remove the pan from the grill, the flatbread should be nice and golden.
Spoon over the smoked pea mixture, then top with the grilled onions and asparagus. Sprinkle over the broad beans and lemon zest and add a few dollops of cashew cream cheese.
Place the topped pizza back under the grill and cook for a further two minutes.
Recipe by The Hungry Herbivores at https://www.thehungryherbivores.com/vegan-100-cookbook-review-chickpea-pizza-recipe/