BBQ Shape chippies … enter the plant-based twilight zone (vegan + gluten, grain, nut & sugar-free)
Good morning ! Okey Dokey, a few words before trying this recipe for my BBQ Shape chippies.
- It is one of my more inventive & complex recipes, maybe not complex as such but fiddly !
- It is totally addictive
- Do it when you have a few hours spare without many distractions, very relaxing to make !
- Eat straight from the oven, these are no good cold
- You do need to follow the steps fairly closely, I have included as many pics as I can to explain as we go along
- If you are looking for a snack fix, if you have the time, these are awesome, if you are rushed and stressed don’t attempt it, do some carrot or eggplant chips instead
- Make sure you have non stick baking paper, a rolling pin & (preferably) a pizza cutter on hand
- Get ready to bake !
So, these are BBQ shapes. But made of cauliflower only plus the herbs & spices. They taste absolutely delish, like a real flavour bomb, much like the old BBQ shapes before Arnotts changed the recipe ! The thin layer of tomato paste dries out and gives it a full tomato hit. So delish.
I was aiming for these to be able to be kept in a jar and eaten with abandon, but they are just no good cold ie. clammy, limp & lifeless. The cauliflower doesn’t hold its own against the more traditional biscuit, it’s simply an impossibility I am thinking after nearly 12 months of trying ! However they are so very yummy hot out of the oven, I couldn’t not put the recipe up for others to enjoy. I you love BBQ shapes then definatley give it a go, it will hit THAT SPOT !
Again, please remember, this is one for total experimentation, please do not be annoyed & disappointed if it doesn’t work for you although it’s totally fine to be annoyed at most of my other recipes though if they don’t work out, just not this one pretty please ! It’s a recipe just for fun !
So I guess, as you can see by reading this intro, proceed with caution, but if you do proceed you should be richly rewarded !
The dip they are served with is my Spicy Carrot Dip from my Antipasto Platter, extra creamed using 1/2 tsp olive oil with 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning added in for some extra “umph” ! A nice compliment I reckon.
Joni x
PS. Please have a good look at the pictured steps below as this will give a great idea of how things should look along the way !
P.S.S I ate this for breakfast as a second taste test, wink wink.
- 1 medium cauliflower
- 4 cups of stock (I used Massel vegan chicken stock powder mixed)
- 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- Olive oil spray
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- Pinch parsley flakes
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp stock powder (I used Massel vegan Chicken stock powder)
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 sachet of low salt tomato paste
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp parsley flakes (dried)
- 1 tsp stock powder (I used Massel vegan Chicken stock powder again)
- Preheat oven to 180°C (or 160° for fan bake)
- Cook the cauliflower in enough stock to cover it for approx 25 mins until nice and soft and falling apart.
- Drain the cauliflower well in a colander over the sink (reserve the stock if you like for another dish).
- Get a large tea towel (or muslin cloth) and tip cauli into the middle of it. With kitchen gloves on, grab all four corners and wring the mix out over the sink until much of the water has come out. NB. This step is very important, it needs to be very dry or else it will not work, get as much water out as you possibly can.
- Tip the "ball" onto 4 layers of paper towel. Place 4 more layers of paper towel on top. Press down and flatten the cauli "ball", getting more liquid out, as much as possible.
- Tip back into a bowl and add the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, parsley, onion powder, stock powder & paprika. Using a stick blender blitz until no big lumps of cauliflower remain. You can also use a blender or food processor. Fashion back into a ball shape.
- Measure a piece of baking paper to fit snugly in a flat oven tray.
- On a clean bench, place one sheet of baking paper and spray with olive oil. Place your "ball" in the middle of the paper. Place another sheet of baking paper on top. Press down to flatten, then use rolling pin to make the ball into a rectangle and fairly thin.
- Cut off any excess that lies outside the baking paper.
- Peel back the top sheet of baking paper. Place on baking tray and spray with olive oil. Top with the tomato paste, in a thin layer, and then half the topping mixture.
- Next, using a pizza cutter preferably (or a sharp knife), score a grid to make the biscuit shapes. Spray with olive oil.
- Place in the oven and cook for 20 mins. Check, spray with olive oil and again cook for 10 mins. Take it out and spray lightly again with olive oil and cook for a further 10 mins. The total cooking time is 40 mins. This will depend on how thinly you have rolled the cauliflower, it may be as short as 25 mins, keep an eye on them. They will shrink on the oven and create the biscuit shape so there is no need to re-cut them.
- Remove from the oven. Let sit to cool down a little & get crispy.
- Sprinkle with a bit more of your topping mix and enjoy !
- Eat fairly soon after removing from the oven or reheat in a fry pan, they are absolutely delicious (but not so much cold !) & taste like BBQ shapes.Excellent served with dips too or as a dipper for soup on a cold winters night.
- If you don't like cauliflower, I would still recommend trying it as with all the flavours I couldn't taste the cauliflower.
- Reader Trudi Rawnsley also has a fab alternative: thinly sliced carrots width wise using the spice mix & tomato paste as above. They look great.
- Nutritional Notes : Please note that the panel is incorrect. I have written to have it rectified. All OptiCook recipes are under 100 cals and 10g carb per serve.
