Must Make This!

Alright kids, gather 'round, because Mama has a treat for you! This is a (very Fall) roasted vegetable & ricotta pizza, which I first discovered 3 years ago in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food and have adored it ever since. I've adapted it and put my own spin on it just a bit, creating hands down one of the greatest pizzas I've ever had. It's a simple pizza- topping literally consists only of wonderful roasted fall vegetables (if you're into that sort of thing, and who isn't?), adorned with dollops of ricotta and mozzarella cheese, then drizzled with olive oil. Trust me, you deserve this kind of treatment. What I love about using your own pizza dough is that it allows for making your own "rustic" shape, which I find utterly charming. It just so happens that we are having this tomorrow night for the first time this year, and my mouth is literally watering just anticipating its wonderfulness. I promise you will not regret making this, and it guarantees to make you all warm and cozy inside! (And honestly, have I ever led you astray?)

Roasted Fall Vegetable & Ricotta Pizza

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• Olive oil, for baking sheet and drizzling
• Flour, for dusting surface
• 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, fresh, or thawed if frozen (we absolutely love Trader Joe's fresh whole wheat pizza dough- it yields 2 nice sized thin-crust pizzas, perfect for our family)
  
• Approx. 2 cups (more or less) part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
  
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 bunch golden beets, well scrubbed and halved (leave skin on until after done roasting)
  
• 2 red potatoes, well scrubbed and quartered
• 1 sweet potato, well scrubbed & cut into 1 1/2 in. pieces
  
• 2 leeks, rinsed well (to get rid of sand) halved lengthwise and cut in 1 1/2-in. lengths
  
• 3 medium carrots, halved lengthwise if thick, and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1-2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese (depending on your preference & how much you like)
  
• small handful chopped basil for topping (optional)
• *NOTE: This is a vegetarian pizza, but for those of you who MUST have a little meat with their meal, I'm sure this would taste amazing with some spicy Italian sausage, or even some salty prosciutto thrown on top!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place vegetables and garlic on large rimmed baking sheet (or line with parchment paper, if desired, for easy cleanup); toss with olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. Roast until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 40 to 50 minutes, tossing them once halfway through. Let cool. Peel beets- skin is now soft enough to peel with your hands. Cut veggies into size of your preference- we use chunkier size veggies on this pizza, but you can make them bite size if you prefer.
   
3. Turn oven up to 475 degrees. Brush a large baking sheet with oil, or line with parchment paper, if desired, for easy cleanup. (Alternatively, you can also use a pizza stone. I lightly oil mine, place in a 500 degree oven for about 15 min., lightly flour the stone and THEN place rolled pizza dough on top and proceed with pizza directions)
   
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll and stretch dough into as large as will fit on baking sheet; transfer to sheet (if not using pizza stone).
5. Sprinkle dough with half the mozzarella. Scatter vegetables on top, and dollop with ricotta; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake until bubbling and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
   
6. Once pizza is out of the oven, sprinkle chopped basil on top (optional). Serve.

Leftover roasted veggies? Toss them with some penne pasta & parmesan, and have yourself another delicious Fall meal!


Photo courtesy of www.marthastewart.com

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You Had Me At Gorgonzola

I made a very tasty little spinach side dish last night, if I do say so myself. And of course I would never withhold this kind of information from you, my little ducklings, so let me give you the gist of what I did. But first, I should tell you that I am not usually a big fan of cooked spinach. (This is how you know it was a pretty amazing dish, without me coming right out and yelling it in your face.) I mean I don't dislike spinach or anything, and I know it's ridiculously good for you, but I usually prefer to eat my spinach in the form of a salad, maybe once every couple months. I just don't really think about spinach very often. Out of sight, out of mind. But good gracious, that Farmer's Market of ours has inspired me to do all sorts of things, and this turned out to be a very pleasant experiment.

Do it, you'll love it. I'll put my personal guarantee on that.


What I used:
1 bunch of spinach, rinsed and torn into large bite size pieces (and it's a good thing if it's still a little bit wet when you go to use it)
Unseasoned breadcrumbs (eyeball your measurement- it's really up to you. I probably used at least 1/2 cup, maybe more? Hard to tell...)
Olive oil
Toasted pine nuts
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
Crumbled gorgonzola
Salt & pepper

What I did:
Generously coat large saute pan with olive oil over medium heat. Add smashed garlic; stir it around and cook a few minutes until it's VERY aromatic and slightly golden brown and beginning to soften. Add breadcrumbs (which will absorb all the olive oil, so you may have to add a bit more), and stir. I just wanted to lightly toast the breadcrumbs and infuse them with all that garlic oil, so it only took a few minutes. Then I added large handfuls of spinach (maybe 2 at a time) and kept stirring it around until each addition cooked down (wilted). Kept doing this until all spinach had been added and incorporated. At this point, all your lightly toasted breadcrumbs and garlic should be mixed in nicely with your cooked spinach. Remove from heat.

Here's where the real fun began: season to taste with salt & pepper. While spinach is still warm, sprinkle gorgonzola crumbles on top. Toss to incorporate. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts, and serve. The gorgonzola will be all melty- soft and delicious.

That's all there is to it. Don't you just love how gorgonzola makes EVERYTHING taste better? That and bacon. Wait! Speaking of bacon, maybe that should get thrown in here, too! Experiment, have fun, keep me posted.