Green pizza: weekend herb blogging
In my last post I promised a green pizza, the inspiration for which came from the contents of my CSA box. It also seems like a natural post for Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Up A Creek Without A PatL.
For this pizza I used my standard pizza crust, covered with basil pesto, then a layer of finely grated parmesan, some sauted escarole, asparagus, and pistachios, then a small amount of mozzarella and scallions. The escarole became almost sweet when briefly tossed about with some olive oil in a hot pan. The asparagus was slice thin and basically thrown in and out of the hot pan, and the green onions, which were the thinest, tiniest I had, were split and laid to rest in the hot pan with the burner off. The pistachios added a perfect crunch and the scallions melded into the cheese with a smoky, oniony flavor.
Each component of this pizza easily stands alone with flavor and nutrition, but combining them compelled them to meld together to form a chewy, sweet, smoky, crunchy, herby extravaganza! This pizza is a definite keeper. Quick, easy, nutritious, mostly local, and delicious…cooking nirvana.
The secrets to good home pizza are parchment paper, an incredibly hot and really well preheated oven (425f minimum), placing the oven rack in the top third of the oven, and creating a pizza dough that is really soft and almost (but not really) wet…it should stick to your fingers some. It’s also useful to know that you don’t need to let the dough rise that long. I’ve gone with anything from 30 minutes to 2 hours…but over two hours it starts to get flabby when you bake it…too bready.
GH has been in San Francisco all week for the JavaOne Conference. I sent him off with my good camera and I’ve been making do with the poor, pitiful, old camera all week…so excuse the blur. I can’t wait to have GH and my camera back.
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18 Responses to “Green pizza: weekend herb blogging”
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The green pizza sounds fantastic, and indeed perfect for WHB. Love the sound of a pizza that includes basil pesto. I must try escarole. I keep reading about it, but haven’t tried it yet. The combination of ingredients here is wonderful.
oooo. you are a pizza godess, vanessa! at least 20 seconds went by before i could look away from that healthy yet scrumptious creation. it sounds as good as it looks too!
Hi Vanessa,
nice meeting you! That pizza looks wonderful. I grew up with escarole soup, but I like these variations! We make big batches of dough and freeze it in individual pizza balls. So quick once it’s defrosted. But I put a pizza stone on the bottom of the oven (no rack) and turn the heat up past 500°F–within 5-6 minutes of sliding the pizza onto the stone, super crisp, melty, Italian style pizza! Now I’m getting hungry again!
Kalyn, thanks for the kind words.
Amanda, that is high praise there young lady…I accept!
Lisa, I’m always hungry! I tried the pizza stone back in the 80’s but that was with a marginal oven…it might work better with mine now. But I could never get the sliding thing right.
I’m with Lisa on the pizza stone. Whenever I make pizza, the oven gets cranked to as high as it goes and the pizza cooks in about 5 minutes. It makes for a more NY style pizza and the dough rarely gets too puffy and chewy.
Nice use of the CSA veggies. I’m sitting on a pile of greens still trying to think of something interesting to do with them that I haven’t done already.
btw – what is the parchment paper for? Do you place it directly on the oven rack?
jef, the parchment is on the cookie sheet and makes the crust crispier. I’m going to have to try a pizza stone again…I’m all for NYC style pizza.
Lisa and jef, any tips on how to slide the pizza onto the stone? Do you use a peel?
Green is just fine for me at this time of year!
Yes, the peel is a must. Dust it with some cornmeal and make sure the pizza isn’t laden with too much stuff. It takes some practice.
BTW, should I use MadLisa since I’m not Homesick Texan Lisa??
Scott, green is my favorite.
Lisa, MadLisa…good thinking…I am easily confused! Do you have a quick wrist action like tossing the contents of a pan?
Hey Vanessa, nice look on your blog ! :)) Yummys, more pesto, and pizza :) Btw, have a wonderful Mother’s Day, cheers !:)
You know, I hadn’t even heard of escarole until you put up that last post. I just read that it’s a type of endive. What does it taste like? I like Belgian endive so, if I see escarole I’m going to try it.
re: the peel, it’s more like pulling the tablecoth off a set table. If the pizza is quite big, I leave it to the husb…
Melty, thanks for the kind words!
Ros, it is very tasty, when cooked it becomes sweet, and raw it is great in salad. I think it would be good wrapped up with poultry.
MadLisa, the stone and peel will have to wait…I think my blender is going to die!
Hey Vanessa,the site looks GREAT and your pizza looks even better :-)
Since everyone else is doing it, I’ll chime in my own two cents about the pizza stone! I use a combination of parchment paper and the pizza stone. Rather than messing with cornmeal or semolina on the pizza peel (you can also use an upside down baking sheet instead of a peel to slide the pizza onto the stone), I make the pizza on a piece of parchment, slide the peel right under the parchment and slide the whole thing, paper and all directly onto the hot stone. Works great!!
Wow. That sure is a gorgeous pizza. I wish it was in my oven right now!
(in response to how I get it on/off the stone)
I’m actually quite cheap when it comes to cooking equipment; I just use a wooden cutting board with some cornmeal on it. I just it just like a peel.
To get the pizza OFF the stone, I just use my fingers and a spatula. I gained some desensitized fingers at cooking school.
Nicole, Thanks for the compliments! I think your pizza/peel technique might be more in line with my capabilities.
Jef, I’m cheap too especially on something like this. I think when I’m at Home Depot next I’ll pick up some unglazed tiles and give them a try. The cookie sheet as peel sounds good…but my fingers are not as tough as yours!
Other ways of getting an even hotter oven: bake on oven for five minutes then move to top shelf and broil for another 3 minutes….
Or preheat a cast iron skillet on stovetop for ten minutes, flip it over, put under broiler in oven (upside down) and slip on pizza dough.