Snap Pea & Coconut Gremolata Flatbread

The caramelized onion cream sauce is a new one for me and I’m excited to have this recipe up my sleeve. I’ve been seeing “cream” sauces popping up all over the place made strictly of onions and I’m looking forward to adding this sauce to soups and pasta dishes. I added a little coconut cream and rice wine vinegar to my sauce to keep in line with the flavors in the gremolata and I’m thrilled with how well this turned out.

Ingredients:

Caramelized Onion Sauce

•     1 1/2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil
•     1 medium sized yellow onion, peeled and sliced into thin half moons
•     1 clove of garlic, minced
•     1 heaping Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
•     salt + pepper
•     1/2 cup coconut cream (scraped from the top of a can of full fat coconut milk) chill the can the night before so the solids separate.

Snap Pea & Coconut Gremolata

•     1/3 cup grapeseed oil
•     1 large shallot, thinly sliced into rings
•     1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
•     1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
•     3 Tablespoons finely chopped mint
•     1 Tablespoon grated lime zest
•     3/4 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed, large ones sliced in half
•     2 cups pea shoots/tendrils, no need to discard stems as the whole plant is edible
•     1/4 cup mint leaves, minced
•     3 Tablespoons reserved shallot oil
•     2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
•     2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari sauce
•     Flakey sea salt

Flatbread

•     1 ball of homemade or store bought pizza/flatbread dough

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 450F
2. Prepare the cream sauce by heating the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender and lightly golden brown (but not crisp!) Stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the vinegar and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Cook until the moisture evaporates. Stir in the coconut cream and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the cream has thickened a bit. Remove from the heat and carefully puree the mixture in a high speed blender until smooth. Taste test and adjust seasonings if need be. Set aside.
3. Wipe out the skillet and add the 1/4 cup grapeseed oil and sliced shallot to the pan. Cook over medium-high heat until the shallots are golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir often. Transfer shallots to paper towels; season with salt and pepper. Pour shallot oil in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Toast the coconut flakes in the same pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the edges are golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add the fried shallot, chives, mint and grated lime zest. Toss well and season the gremolata with salt + pepper.
5. Toss the snap peas, pea shoots, mint, shallot oil, lime juice and soy sauce in a medium bowl; season with a pinch of flaky sea salt and pepper. Stir in the gremolata and mix until well combined.
6. Roll out the flatbread dough and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread a layer of cream sauce over the dough and bake in the oven until the crust is cooked and the sauce has browned/bubbled a bit. About 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and top the flatbread with the snap pea salad. Slice into wedges and serve with a little more cream sauce drizzled on each slice.