Veggies-only antipasti pinwheels (grain, dairy, gluten, nut and egg-free), a little fiddly but worth it !

Hi all,

These pinwheels are a take on my flat bread recipe. I used antipasti from jars, which is totally fine and much easier than doing your own. Just make sure they are in brine and not oil !

Of course the cauli isn’t exactly like pastry, but I must say that it was pretty darn close and good !

Anyway, I have tried to describe step-by-step how I did this one in the instructions so they are very detailed, please don’t be scared, just plod along and I hope for you all a positive result follows. Any improvements to the recipe are always welcomed as well. Sometimes I get stuck on how to describe actions !

Cheers, Joni 

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Veggies-only antipasti pinwheels (grain, dairy, gluten, nut and egg-free)
Yields 6
This was a delicious littel morsels of Italian flavour. The cauliflower acts as a shortcrust pastry to encase the antipasti. These require minimal ingredients but a fair bit of technique. Check the pictures in the post about this recipe for some guidance if my instructions are not sufficient !
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Ingredients
  1. 4 cups of cauliflower, chopped roughly (approx. 1 small cauliflower)
  2. Salt & pepper
  3. 1 tbs dry spices or herbs of your choice (optional)
  4. 2 tbs tomato paste, salt-reduced
  5. Parsley, basil, oregano or thyme fresh herbs, chopped finely (optional)
  6. 4 thick slices of char-grilled eggplant (I used pre-made from a jar in brine)
  7. 3 slices of red char-grilled capsicum (I used pre-made from a jar in brine)
  8. 9 thick slices of char-grilled artichoke (I used pre-made from a jar in brine and sliced them)
  9. 4 slices tomato (I sliced the tomato and put it in the oven to dry out prior to placing on the pastry)
  10. *You need baking paper, a serrated (bread) knife, paper towel and a rolling pin for this recipe*
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 190°C (or 180° for fan bake)
  2. Cook the cauliflower in enough water to cover it for approx 25 mins until nice and soft and falling apart.
  3. Drain the cauliflower well in a colander over the sink. Get a large tea towel and tip cauli into the middle of it. With kitchen gloves on, grab all four corners to make a pouch and wring the mix out over the sink all 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. Please check the pictures associated with this recipe if you are unsure.
  4. 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.
  5. Tip back into a bowl and add your herbs & spices (if using) and mix. Season well with salt and pepper and fashion back into a ball shape.
  6. At the same time, get your chosen antipasti out of their jars and leave to drain on pieces of paper towel. Set aside.
  7. Measure a piece of baking paper to fit snugly in an oven tray. Cut two more pieces of the same size and set them aside.
  8. 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. Aim for the thickness of a piece of thick cardboard. Do not do it too thin or else when you are rolling it for the pinwheels it will break apart. Cut off any excess that lies outside the baking paper so you make a rectangle shape.
  9. Carefully peel back the top sheet of baking paper. Place the square of pastry including the baking paper underneath on baking tray and spray with olive oil.
  10. Place in oven, cooking until it is lightly brown on top (approx. 10 mins).
  11. Place the third sheet of baking paper on the bench. Take it out of the oven and carefully flip it onto the baking paper, cooked face down. Carefully peel off the top sheet of baking paper from the oven. Allow to cool a little. Place another fresh sheet of baking paper on the tray, ready for the cut pinwheels.
  12. Spoon your tomato paste and herbs onto the pastry top. Take your chosen antipasti and layer top , as shown in the pic.
  13. Roll the pastry up carefully length ways so each pinwheel will get a bit of all the antipasto you have laid out across it.
  14. You need to work quickly now. Slice the pastry roll in thick rounds, preferably using a bread knife. Place them on the tray rolled side up and make sure the bottoms are nice and round (not squashed from cutting) so they don't tip over when cooking.
  15. Spray with olive oil spray and place back in the oven for 15 mins, or until nicely browned.
  16. Remove and serve warm or cold.
Notes
  1. These wouldn't freeze well. They would refridgerate but I suspect may go soggy and potentially fall apart the next day. I would recommend this as a dish you should do all at once, well worth it !
  2. Definatley use the pictures in the post to help you alongside reading the recipe carefully.
  3. You can definatley substitute other antipasto vegetables for the ones I used. Just make sure they are in brine and not oil. You can also make your own from scratch. Zucchini or mushroom would also be nice.
  4. You can also use a muslin cloth or even a clean socking to wring the cauliflower
  5. I served with a warm homemade pasta sauce to dip. You could also do a salsa or mixed salad on the side.
Nutritional panel note
  1. The nutritional panel is inaccurate, I have submitted a request to alter it. This recipe is VLCD intensive suitable.
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  1. kirsty
    October 25, 2016

    I cant explain how much i cant wait to try EVERYTHING on your website! Im 5 days in to a pre op VLCD diet and my mouth is WATERING!! So grateful to have found this site!! xx