the arugula files

Vichyssoise Deconstructed (Potato, Leek, and Gruyere Pizza)

Last night, right before I fell into a deep sleep – around 11:40 pm – I whipped up some habenero cactus jelly.  What?  Let me explain.   When I can't fall asleep, I pretend I'm a cheftestant on Top Chef.  Absurd, I know.  I am not a chef. Not. even. close.  It doesn't matter, my cooking qualifications are irrelevant. I just need to fall asleep, people, and counting sheep doesn't cut it.  So, each night, I enter myself into a quick fire challenge, think about what I would cook, and how I would make it.  Take, for example, the recent Top Chef quick fire on cooking cactus.  I got in my PJs, crawled into bed, then went through a bunch of potential cactus dishes in my head.   I finally decided on habanero cactus jelly. Five minutes later I was a asleep.  Some times, I'll actually make the dishes I dream up; sometimes not. Habanero cactus jelly? Not.

Caramelized Onion, Gruyere, and Rosemary Pizza

I never order takeout pizza.  It just doesn't taste good and it can be expensive.  Instead, I keep a bag of Trader Joe's pizza dough in my freezer.  At 99 cents, the dough is a bargain, and, as long as you don't spend a lot of money on ingredients, you can make a recession-ready pizza in no time.  Take this pizza, for example.  I caramelized a red onion (89 cents), cut a few sprigs of rosemary off my office plant (practically free!), and added a handful of Gruyere cheese (~$1.50).  That's about $3.50, if you count some olive oil and a bit of cornmeal for the pizza paddle.  And, this pizza was enough for two meals. Take that Ben Bernanke.

Peach, Arugula, and Bleu Pizza

Peaches on pizza?  Trust me.  A perfectly ripe peach can go from sweet to savory with the right company.  All you need is pizza dough, some sauteed onion, garlic, thyme, and cheese.  Cheddar would work.  So would parmesan.  I used bleu cheese because that's what I had on hand. 

Fig, Thyme, and Andouille Sausage Pizza

The other day I spotted a box of figs at Whole Foods.  Yes, they were from California.  Yes, I still wanted them.  Yes, I bought them.  Go ahead and judge me.  I'm at the point in winter when I'm over apples that are totally past their peak and I am craving blood oranges and pineapple.  Strawberries too.  I can't take it any more. After making my case to a small jury of lemons and limes, I convinced myself that my carbon footprint was relatively impressive.  So I bought the figs with pizza in mind.  A pizza that I had a Liberty Tavern that still takes up space in my brain and makes my stomach growl. 

Shiitake and Cremini Mushroom Pizza with Roasted Garlic and Thyme

Today at the farmers market, I had a hard time finding vegetables that grow above ground.  There were parsnips, pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, and beets.  Then I came across the mushroom stand.  I bought a box of cremini and a box of shiitake.  The mushrooms matched with thyme and roasted garlic packed this pizza with flavor.  It didn't even need cheese, but I added some anyway because I didn't want my parmesan to feel left out.

Squash, Gorgonzola, Apple, and Red Onion Pizza

Tonight, as I was chopping vegetables, Marcus came into the kitchen and asked me what I was making.  I told him pizza with apples, onions, acorn squash, and gorgonzola.  He gave me a WTF look and left the room.  To most people, these ingredients do not sound like pizza toppings.  This is particularly true for Marcus, who usually orders pepperoni on his pizza.  My niece, who won’t eat pizza with “brown flecks” (known as oregano to most adults) on it, would also find this flavor combination problematic.  I couldn't wait to try it.  Every time I go out to pizza these days, the best pizzas always have apples or figs, so I knew this would be a winner.  And it was.  Marcus even thought so.

Ingredients

1. 1 Acorn Squash
2. 1 green apple
3. 1/2 red onion
4. handful of sharp cheddar cheese
5. Handful of gorgonzola cheese
6. Pizza dough (I used Trader Joe’s, but you can make your own if you want to be that way) 
7. Penzy’s Sandwich Sprinkle (garlic, coarse salt, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, black pepper).

Directions

1. Quarter Acorn Squash
2. Splash with olive oil
3. Bake at 350 until done
4. Peel squash and mash with a fork
5. Roll out dough
6. Bake dough at 350 for five minutes; remove from oven
7. Saute onions in a small bit of oil until slight caramelized
8. Use a fork to spread squash (like sauce on pizza)
9. Add thinly sliced apple
10.  Add onions
11.  Sprinkle sandwich sprinkle
12.  Cover with gorgonzola and cheddar
13.  Bake at 350 until crust is light brown and crispy