serves
9
prep
40 minutes
cook
1 hour
difficulty
Mid
serves
9
people
preparation
40
minutes
cooking
1
hour
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
For the avocado cream
- 1 large green chilli
- 1 avocado
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- pinch of salt
- juice of 1 lime
For the pita
- 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour, sifted
- 1 tsp xanthan gum (if your gf flour blend does not have it)
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large egg and 1 large egg white
For the fritters
- 2 zucchinis, grated or peeled with a julienne peeler then diced
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- kernels from 2 ears of corn
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and grated
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup cornmeal
- ½ cup brown rice flour (or regular all-purpose flour if you prefer)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil (or any neutral high-heat oil)
This recipe makes 4 pita breads
Instructions
To prepare the avocado cream, pre-heat oven to 230˚C. Place the chilli on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, until it’s brown and charred on the outside. Remove, and place in a bowl and cover with a towel for about 10 minutes (this will allow it to steam a little, and make the skin easier to remove).
Once the chilli has cooled, peel the skin, and remove the stem and the seeds inside. Place the chilli and all of the other ingredients in a food processor. Pulse several times until everything is combined. Then, add water, little by little, until you have your desired consistency (I found that ½ cup worked well). Set aside, or covered in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
To make the pita bread, lower the oven temperature to 200˚C. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven now (you can also use a large baking sheet).
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the flour, xanthan gum (if needed), baking powder and sea salt and blend on low speed to combine all the dry ingredients.
Then, add in the olive oil, egg and egg white and blend until combined. Then, add ¼ cup of warm water and blend until incorporated. Lastly, slowly pour in the additional ½ cup of warm water and blend on low speed for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and just barley pulling off the edges. It should be a very wet and runny dough.
Lay a piece of parchment out on a flat surface and spoon about ½ cup of the mixture and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. They will look a little bit like pancakes, and they should about 10-15 cm in diameter. Leave at least 2 cm between each. You should end up with about 3-4.
Very carefully, remove the pizza stone or baking sheet from the oven, and transfer the dough and parchment onto the stone or baking sheet. Place it in the oven to bake for 10 minutes. The dough should rise slightly and be a light brown on top. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool. I like to serve the pita while they are still a little warm, so I cover them while I prepare the fritters.
To make the fritters, place the zucchini in a colander with some salt. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes to draw out the liquid. Squeeze the zucchini to get rid of any excess liquid. You can also place them in a towel and squeeze some more. The more liquid you can remove, the better. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron frypan over medium heat. Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes until soft. Then add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add the corn kernels and sweet potato and sauté for several minutes until everything is soft and tender. Place in a separate bowl to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Then add the cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, and baking soda and stir to incorporate everything. Add the zucchini, corn, and sweet potato and stir again until everything is mixed together.
Heat the sunflower oil in the same frypan. Make sure the oil coats the bottom of the pan. Using a spoon and your hands, spoon about ¼ cup of the mixture into your hands and roll it together to form a ball. Then carefully place it in the pan with the oil and press down with the back of the spoon. Do this in batches. I had about three going at once, and did three batches. Cook them for 3-5 minutes on each side, and remove and set on a paper towel-lined plate.
To serve, cut the pita open by making a slit in the top, and cut halfway around. Stuff the fritter inside the pita, along with any toppings. Then, finish with a healthy drizzle of the avocado cream.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
