Friday, July 23, 2010

W6/Meal 2: OMGPIZZA

It's no secret that pizza is my favorite food. I'm not unlike a nine year old boy in that regard. When my good buddy Rick drove me out to Di Fara last fall, I had a private moment wherein I held back tears of joy. Seriously. Nothing gets me talking with wild animation quite like discussing pizza. Except maybe the topic of comfort footwear.

I tend to be a purist and believe that the best pies have tomato sauce, mozzarella, a bubbly crust, a little olive oil, a pinch of herbs and salt... nothing more, nothing less. And it was always my staunch position that a pie must have red sauce in order to be satisfying. White pizza belonged at a sad little party with decaf coffee, white chocolate and O'Douls.

A humble bunch of rosemary was the inspiration for the triumphant culinary breakthrough that follows. That's what I'm really loving about this farm share: letting the ingredients lead me down new and interesting paths.

Potato, Zucchini, Rosemary and Sage Pizza

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces unpeeled small Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into very thin rounds
One small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 package of Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 cup (packed) grated low-fat mozzarella cheese
About 2 oz. of chevre goat cheese, divided

Directions
1] Preheat oven to 400°F.
2] Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add potato slices in single layer, sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Cool briefly.
3] In the meantime, unroll dough on rimmed baking sheet. Bake about 5-6 minutes, until dough is golden brown.
4] Remove from oven. Scatter potato and zucchini slices over dough, leaving 3/4-inch plain border. Sprinkle with rosemary, sage, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Sprinkle with cheeses to cover.
3] Bake pizza until crust is crisp and cheeses melt, about 10 minutes. Using metal spatula, loosen crust from sheet. Slide out onto platter or board and serve.

***

I used a small bag of multi-colored potatoes from Trader Joe's for added intrigue. Maybe a pop of purple could distract me from the glaring lack of red sauce? I also rubbed olive oil and La Baleine sea salt on the crust, taking a cue from the focaccia I enjoyed in Cinque Terre.

The method for cooking the crust is something I devised after many attempts with Trader Joe's dough. I find that cooking it first without toppings ensures a nice crisp.

Verdict: OMG. (Hence the name.) Easily the tastiest savory dish to ever come out of my oven. So sophisticated, so successful. Not to go all Iron-Chef-guest-judge on you, but there was definitely a party of flavors happening there. A big, happy party. The original recipe did not call for the zucchini and the goat cheese --that was my invention-- so I have to give myself a pat on the back for making this recipe extra-special.

I like to imagine that Mr. DeMarco --old man Di Fara himself-- would have tasted this and wept. Probably not, but he at least would have given me a hearty high-five.

1 comment:

  1. Lauren this looks amazing! i have been into homemade pizzas lately. I made this one http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/lemony-zucchini-goat-cheese-pizza/ and loved it! Great blog too :) KellyT

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