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Thursday, March 25, 2010

artichoke beet pizza

i haven't cooked beets in a long time, and i don't even know how it's possible they slipped my mind. i saw this beet risotto on jessica's blog, apples and butter, and the beet invaded my mind like aliens taking over a host body. i made the risotto immediately, but it was so quickly polished off, there was no time for pictures. i'll make it again, it was kinda brilliant. the thing is, i got a bit carried away and i roasted a whole sheet of baby beets, a lot more than i needed for one dish. that's how this one got to be - a cross between the leftover beets and my daughter whining for pizza. the combo of beet and marinated artichoke is surprisingly good. it's excellent.


initially i didn't want to cook it, i was afraid these two have too much moisture and i'll end up with a soggy pie. it's all good as long as you keep them in a strainer for 15-20 minutes. as an alternative to roasting the beets, you can steam them. get small ones if possible, they cook faster and they're easier to peel. be careful with them, that juice staines right to the bone. once they're cooked and cooled, slice them thinly and put them in a mesh with the artichokes.



stretch the dough to the size and shape of your baking vehicle. spread with tomato-based pizza sauce. sprinkle a good handful of grated parmesan over it. then alternate slices of beet, artichoke and mushroom. don't overcrowd it. then take 4 or 5 springs of thyme and run your fingers against the stem to get the tiny leaves off, and sprinkle them evenly. i also used some chopped sage, but that's not as vital as the thyme. give it a grind of pepper and bake at 425F for 15-20 minutes.

it's the best of both worlds. your kid gets pizzzzaaaaa! and you get a few veggies in her, and a grown-up lunch. the spinach is dressed simply with olive oil, champagne vinegar, dijon and honey. it makes a great companion for the pizza but doesn't steal its thunder. i think it would be lovely with a few dots of goat cheese, and/or a few asparagus tips. i plan to turn all these ingredients into a panzanella, stat. the aliens are still eating my brain.


8 comments:

  1. I love this! I still have leftover beets from the risotto in my fridge and I love the idea of using them on pizza, though in my case I'm trying to sneak those veggies into the mouth of a twenty something man! Thanks for the shout out!

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  2. thanks, jessica! and thanks again for the inspiration, zhara loved your risotto - and as far as guys are concerned, i find it's best to try it when they're truly famished, they're less likely to object!

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  3. Fabulous Pizza dear. Looks awesome. Nothing beats homemade pizza!

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  4. Beautiful pizza, Dana! I'm interested that you use parmesan instead of mozzarella - was that chosen specifically to match the beets and artichokes?

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  5. cool lassi(e), thanks!

    celia: yes. i wanted something sharper to stand up to the sweetness of the beets and delicious punch of the artichokes. goat cheese, if i had it, would go on top of it, and not instead. the nutty sharp goes great with the beets - i think they would overwhelm anything mild like mozzarella. i also had a nice sharp cheddar in mind, but i don't like the way that melts. it's not as dry, so when it melts it gets saucy and goopy and i didn't know how it would add up with the moisture content of the beets and artichokes. parmesan crisps up like nothing else, it's perfect.

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  6. Arata foarte bine, chiar daca e fara carne nu as refuza o felie!

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  7. andrei, eu nu am pus pentru ca nu mananca printesa. cred ca ar fi si mai buna cu ceva kaiser taiat fasiute. daca ar fi fost acasa sotul meu, era musai sa pun macar pe jumate, ca nici el nu pricepe rostul mancarii fara carne :)

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  8. Dana, frumoase poze. Imi plac mult.

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