Way back during my first year of blogging,
as I posted yet another seasonal pasta recipe, I made the observation that I had
probably misnamed my blog—that if I were telling the truth about my own
personal eating habits I would have dubbed my blog "Pasta &
Cake....Every Day". I thought of
that post this week as I contemplated today's post because I am sharing yet
another pizza recipe. I eat a lot of
homemade pizza too (pizza and pasta are both fantastic vehicles for whatever
the season and the market brings)—and so far this year it looks like my blog
could have been subtitled "Pizza...it's what's for dinner". If my math is correct, almost a quarter of my posts this year (including this one) have been for pizza....
But I have two very good reasons
for posting this particular pizza. The
first has to do with the sauce. Long
time readers will know that I am not in the habit of putting tomato sauce on my
pizzas. I wrote a post on this very topic a few years back. It isn't that I
don't like tomato sauce...it's just that it can be somewhat limiting. There are so many other interesting
options—almost all of which have appeared on my blog: a simple smear of plain or infused olive
oil....ricotta cheese...vegetable purées...and most recently, a mixture of crème fraiche and fresh cheese. Recently
I discovered (via two different pizzas at two different restaurants) another delicious
option—reduced cream.
Reduced cream (heavy cream
simmered until it is thickened and reduced in volume by 1/3 to 1/2) makes an
amazing sauce. It is silky...and
surprisingly ethereal. It may be used
plain (just put a quarter to a third cup of heavy cream in a small saucepan and
simmer until it is thickened and reduced) or combined with a bit of pureed roasted
garlic...or, as in my recipe today, mixed with a whole head/stalk of softened green
garlic. When I build a pizza, I
typically spread 2 to 2 1/2 ounces of cheese on top of the crust before adding
other toppings and then more cheese.
When you sauce your pizza with reduced cream you can dispense with that
bottom layer of cheese.
The green garlic version of the
reduced cream is the second reason that I wanted to share this particular
pizza. Not only is it fantastic with the
asparagus that is pouring into the market at the moment (if you've never had asparagus on a pizza before, you are in for a treat...I posted another one a few years ago), it would also be
wonderful topped with the greens that have just begun to fill the stalls (kale,
spinach, chard...). Furthermore, the reduced
cream sauce makes an excellent vehicle for the green garlic itself and posting
the recipe gives me a chance to talk a little bit about green garlic.
I have been bringing green garlic
home with me from the farmers' market every week for the past three weeks. I have used green garlic before (even featured it in a post), but I have never paid very special attention to it at
the farmers' market...possibly because it wasn't that abundant at my old
market. But at the market I have been shopping at since last June (The Brookside Farmers' Market in Kansas City), it is
abundant...and it is truly a special treat.
Green (or new) garlic is to
garlic what spring onions are to the onion family: the early, young version of what eventually
becomes the storage garlic (and onions) that we see in the grocery store. For years now spring onions have completely
replaced regular onions in my kitchen during late spring and early summer. I am guessing that I will in the future be
using new/green garlic in the same way.
Like spring onions, after trimming away the root, you may use not only the white (or rose) portion...but also the green. The very first green garlic to come into the market will not even have begun to form cloves or a head...it looks very much like a slender leek. You can tell it is garlic by taking a sniff....the stalk will smell like garlic. Later, the heads will begin to swell with the forming cloves. You may still use the whole thing, but as the season progresses, the sheath that protects the cloves will begin to toughen a bit and you might want to slip it off and discard it (depending on what you will be using the garlic for). The darker portion of the green also becomes tougher as the season progresses...and again, depending on use, you might want to use only the white and pale green portions.
Like spring onions, after trimming away the root, you may use not only the white (or rose) portion...but also the green. The very first green garlic to come into the market will not even have begun to form cloves or a head...it looks very much like a slender leek. You can tell it is garlic by taking a sniff....the stalk will smell like garlic. Later, the heads will begin to swell with the forming cloves. You may still use the whole thing, but as the season progresses, the sheath that protects the cloves will begin to toughen a bit and you might want to slip it off and discard it (depending on what you will be using the garlic for). The darker portion of the green also becomes tougher as the season progresses...and again, depending on use, you might want to use only the white and pale green portions.
In general, you can use green garlic everywhere you would use regular garlic...you can just use more. You will get the wonderful taste and aroma of garlic, without the heat and strength of storage garlic. Suzanne Goin makes the observation in her book Sunday Suppers at Lucques that when green garlic season comes to an end she feels bereft. I imagine I will feel the same.
Before I end my post today I
wanted to make an exciting announcement.
I have been asked by the growers of the Brookside Farmers' Market to be
their official Market Chef! For the
moment this means that I will be developing recipes for them with the beautiful
ingredients I find at the Brookside Market.
The recipes will appear on my blog in the normal fashion (as part of a
normal post). Additionally, I have set
up a separate Brookside Market page (tab at top) where all of these recipes will
be cataloged...and if the specific grower of the featured ingredients hasn't
been mentioned in the post, they will be acknowledged on the market page.
Every now and then an opportunity
comes your way that just feels like a perfect fit...and for me, this is one of
those. As anyone who reads my blog already
knows, the farmers' market is one of my favorite haunts. I look forward to the opening in the
spring...and am at a loss when it closes in the late fall. People often ask me
what is my favorite thing to cook...and I never know quite what to say...I love
to cook (and bake!) a lot of things. But
it occurs to me that what I truly love best is cooking from the ever changing palette
of the seasons. I hope that this new partnership with the
Brookside Market will encourage even more people to get out, explore their local market...and bring home something fresh and beautiful to cook for their family
and friends.
 |
| Green garlic from Ki Koko Farms Asparagus from Urbavore Urban Farms |
Asparagus & Mushroom Pizza with Green Garlic Cream
1 T. unsalted butter
1 stalk/head of green garlic—white/ivory and pale
green parts—finely sliced
salt & pepper
1 T. white wine (see notes)
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 T. olive oil
3 1/2 to 4 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced a scant
1/4-inch thick
1 T. unsalted butter
1 medium spring onion, white and an equal amount of
the green, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced
4 to 4 1/2 oz. asparagus, trimmed, rinsed
and cut very thinly—1/8-inch thick or less—on a long bias (about 2 to 2 1/4 oz.
trimmed weight)—see notes
1/2 t. olive oil
1 oz. finely grated Parmesan
2 to 2 1/2 oz. coarsely grated Fontina or low-moisture
mozzarella
1 ball of pizza dough (see below), rested
Preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500°F an hour
before you plan to bake the pizza. If you made the dough ahead, pull it out of
the refrigerator when you turn on the oven.
Place a tablespoon of butter along with a tablespoon
of water in a small sauce pan and set over moderately low heat. When the butter
has melted, add the green garlic along with a good pinch of salt. Gently stew the garlic until it is softened
and the water has evaporated/been absorbed and the garlic has softened (about 5
minutes).
Add the white wine and continue to simmer until the wine is reduced and the garlic is sizzling gently in the butter again. Add the cream and simmer until thickened and reduced by one third to one half. Taste and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
Add the white wine and continue to simmer until the wine is reduced and the garlic is sizzling gently in the butter again. Add the cream and simmer until thickened and reduced by one third to one half. Taste and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a medium sauté pan set
over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms
and sauté until tender and caramelized. If
you like, add a splash of water, or white wine, to deglaze the pan...continue
to cook until the water/wine has evaporated.
Transfer to a plate and season the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Let the pan cool briefly before returning to moderate
heat. Add a tablespoon of butter. When the butter is melted, add the spring
onions along with a pinch of salt and cook until soft and tender (five minutes
or so). Return the mushrooms to the pan,
toss to combine and continue to cook for a minute or two to blend the
flavors. Taste and correct the
seasoning. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, drizzle the olive oil over the
asparagus and season with salt & pepper. Toss to coat. Add the cheeses and
toss to combine.
To build the pizza: On a lightly floured surface, roll
or stretch the dough out into a 12- to 13-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a
pizza pan, baking sheet or peel that has been lightly dusted with semolina,
fine cornmeal, or rice flour.
Spread the garlic cream over the crust, leaving a half
inch border around the edges bare.
Scatter the mushroom/spring onion mixture over the cream, followed by the asparagus/cheese mixture.
Scatter the mushroom/spring onion mixture over the cream, followed by the asparagus/cheese mixture.
If using a pizza pan or baking sheet, place the pizza
in its pan on the pizza stone in the pre-heated oven. Bake until the crust is
golden brown on the bottom and the cheese is bubbling, about 8 to 10 minutes.
To insure a crisp crust, after the crust has set (5 to 6 minutes), slide the
pizza off of the pan to finish cooking directly on the pizza stone.
If you are using a pizza peel, slide the pizza
directly onto the hot stone and bake until browned and bubbling (about 8
minutes).
When the pizza is done, transfer to a cutting board
and cut into wedges and serve. If not
serving immediately (if making a second pizza, for example), transfer to a wire
rack so that the crust won't get soggy.
Note:
- If you don't have an open bottle of wine on hand, simply start with 2 T. of water and cook the garlic until soft and sizzling in the butter.
- It is very important to cut the asparagus on a long bias, thus exposing as much of the interior of the spear as possible.
Pizza Dough:
1/2 cup warm water (100º-110º)
1 1/8 t. (1/2 package) active dry yeast
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
Combine the water, yeast, and 3/4 cup of the flour in
a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add the oil, salt and another half cup of the
flour. Stir with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough that holds its shape.
Sprinkle some of the remaining quarter cup of flour on a smooth surface. Scrape
the dough out of the bowl and sprinkle with a bit more flour. Knead the dough,
adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, until the dough is
smooth and springs back when pressed lightly with a finger—about 5 to 10
minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with
plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size—about 1 hour.
Punch down the dough. At this point you may use the dough immediately or cover
the bowl again with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 12 to 24 hours. Pull
the dough out of the refrigerator to let it warm up a bit, about an hour before
baking the pizza.
When ready to make the pizza, turn the dough out onto
a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a ball. Cover with a towel and
let rest for 10 to 20 minutes. The dough is now ready to be shaped, topped and
baked.
by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins)
Food Processor
Method: Place the water and yeast in a small bowl and
let sit until the yeast has dissolved.
Place 1 1/4 cups plus 2 T. of the flour and salt in the food processor
fitted with the metal blade and pulse to blend.
Add the oil and yeast/water mixture and pulse until the dough is
homogenous. Begin to run the mixture in
long pulses until the dough is smooth and elastic—it shouldn't take more than a
minute. If the dough seems wet and
sticky, add some of the remaining 2 T. of flour a bit at a time, pulsing after
each addition. Turn the dough out onto a
lightly floured counter and give it a few kneads by hand.
No comments:
Post a Comment