Roasted Vegetable Pizza

On Wednesday I went to the Spruill Farmers Market in Sandy Springs (Georgia). It's a nice little market that sets up weekly and sells a variety of produce, dairy, meat, jams, and the like. For $37.50 I was able to get this:



I think that's a pretty nice catch for less than 40 bucks. In case some of it is difficult to see or identify, here's a list of the produce pictured above:
*3 sweet potatoes
*1 bunch rose turnips
*1 bunch carrots
*1 bunch kale
*1 bag braising greens (collards, mustard greens, and kale)
*1 bag chickweed
*1 bag totsoi (not sure I have the spelling correct on that one)
*2 winter squash
*7 1/2 oz fresh mozzarella

Charlie and I took some of the produce pictured above (along with a few other ingredients) and turned it into this:



Now, let me tell you something. I am a lucky woman for many, many reasons. I have a wonderful family, a husband who constantly wows me with his kindness and love, amazing friends, good health, a steady job, and such. All of that keeps me going, and I'm grateful for the good fortune I've had in my life. However, I think (and hope) most of those things are shared by a great many people. There is, however, one thing I have that most people don't, and that's a husband who makes awesome pizza. Isn't that lucky? Also, he has a knack for knowing when I'm exhausted and don't feel like cooking dinner. I love when Charlie calls and says he'd like to make a pizza for dinner. My reply is almost always an enthusiastic "Yes! Please!".
We decided to make a roasted vegetable pizza with some of our farmers market bounty. Charlie started by making dough. He's been working on the perfect pizza dough recipe for awhile, and after dozens of pizzas and constant tweaking I think he's finally achieved it.
While Charlie worked his magic on the dough I roasted vegetables. I decided to go with sunchokes (purchased at the Morningside Farmers Market last weekend), winter squash, and kale. I thought that combination would give the pizza a woodsy autumn flavor. I sliced the squash, tossed it with a little olive oil and kosher salt, then popped it in the oven (preheated to 375 degrees) for about 20 minutes.





I also thinly sliced the sunchokes (with the peel still on), treated them to a little oil and salt, and added them to the oven. They took a little longer to roast -- about 30 minutes total. (Sunchokes are also known as jerusalem artichokes, but they aren't from Jerusalem, and they aren't artichokes so I go with the farmsy (just made that word up!) term, sunchokes.)



Next up: kale! I gently sauteed a large handful in just a touch of olive oil, and then the veggies were ready! Charlie rolled out the dough, and we assembled our pizza.





Oooh...the fresh mozzarella is so tasty and melts into ooey gooey deliciousness. Bagged, shredded mozzarella just doesn't compare.
Charlie slid the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone, and 12 minutes later we had dinner!





Yum! Homemade pizza really is super easy to make and can be topped with anything you like. We've tried all sorts of toppings, from capers (nice and salty but you have to trap them with melted cheese or they just roll off) to anchovies (the fish flavor is intense...use sparingly!). It's a great weekday dinner as long as you remember to start the dough as soon as you get home from work.

Charlie's Pizza Dough

(adapted from Michael Ruhlman's Ratio suggestions)

ingredients:

2 cups semolina flour*

1/4 teaspoon yeast

6 oz water, lukewarm

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

pinch of red pepper flakes (or more if you want a spicier crust)

1 Tablespoon olive oil (we just use a nice glug), plus additional for oiling the bowl

cornmeal

In a medium bowl combine flour and yeast. Create a well in the center, and add water. Allow to rest 2 - 3 minutes. Add oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough begins to come together then add olive oil. Knead approximately 10 minutes or until dough is smooth, sticky, and bounces back when lightly touched. Lightly oil the inside of a medium bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow to rise 1 - 1 1/2 hours. The dough will not double in size but will swell a little.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the center of the oven to preheat along with the oven.

Turn the dough out onto a surface dusted with cornmeal. With floured hands, form the dough into a 8 - 10 inch circle with a flat center and slightly thicker edges (to form the crust), working some of the cornmeal into the dough as you shape it. (Use a gentle hand so you do not tear the dough as you work with it.) In order to prevent tearing, the final dough shaping should occur on whatever you will use to place the pizza in the oven. We use a pizza peel, but if you will be baking your pizza on a baking sheet you should use that at this point.

Top the pizza as you wish and place in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes. Let the cooked pizza rest for five minutes so the cheese and ingredients can settle, then dig in!

*For those of you in the Atlanta area, semolina flour can be purchased at the Dekalb Farmers Market. It can also be purchased in gourmet food shops, and I'm sure it's available for purchase online. Semolina is made of durham wheat and adds a unique texture to the pizza dough. If you are unable to find it, bread flour can be substituted.

An Old-Fashioned Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake is my absolute favorite cake, so when my mother asked me to make her a birthday shortcake with strawberries, blueberries, and peaches I was thrilled.  This is a towering, fancy-looking cake that is quite simple to make.  It's also quite special to me because the basic cake recipe is my great-grandmother's.  Isn't that neat?

Here is a copy of the recipe in my mother's hand.  As you can see, it has been well-loved through the years.

I love strawberries with cream, and this is a beautiful, fluffy cake version of just that with peaches and blueberries to add a little pop.  To make a shortcake you need three basic things: two 9-inch cakes, whipped cream, and fresh fruit.  Before we look at any of those things, let's take a moment to examine pan preparation.  You'll need two 9-inch cake pans for this recipe.

Many people grease and flour their pans to keep the baked cake from sticking, but I prefer to line my pans  with wax paper.  I don't always do this when I bake, but I always do so when I bake this cake.  Here's my favorite way to create the perfect wax paper liner.

1. Flip the cake pan over so the bottom is facing up.  Place a sheet of wax paper on top of the pan.

2. Run the blunt side of a butter knife around the rim of the pan, creating an impression on the wax paper.

3.  Remove the wax paper and cut out the circle impression left behind.  Place the cut-out in the pan.  Voila!  

You can purchase pre-cut liners at gourmet shops and baking-supply stores, but it's much more cost-efficient to do it yourself.  At this point you can flour the cut-out for extra assurance if you like.  I generally leave them as they are, and it works for me.  Now that the pans are ready, it's cake-baking time.

Mama Holley's Basic Cake

ingredients:

2 1/4 cups self-rising flour

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.  Bake at 325 degrees F until brown.

That's the original recipe in its entirety.  Isn't it beautiful?  I like how simple and old-fashioned the recipe is, but there are a few little tricks that will help when baking this cake.  Most important is the order in which the ingredients are combined.  I begin by mixing the flour and sugar, then working in the shortening with my hands. This will help ensure even distribution of the ingredients.  In a separate bowl mix the milk, vanilla extract and eggs, then add to the dry ingredients.  

Another helpful piece of information that's missing from the recipe is the bake time.  My great-grandmother would probably have recommended baking it "just until it looks about right" if pressed for a time. I'll try to be a little more specific.  :)  At 325 degrees F in 9-inch pans this cake takes approximately 30 minutes to bake.  It may take a little more or less time depending on your oven.  It should be golden on top, and a toothpick should come out clean when inserted in the center.

After the cake has cooled a little, gingerly peel off the wax paper.  Take care not to be too rough or you risk tearing the top of the cake.

Lovely, isn't it?  This cake has a coarse crumb that I adore.

Using a long bread knife, split each cake horizontally so you have two layers per cake.  

Now your cakes are ready, and you'll need some fresh whipped cream.  Whatever you do, don't reach for the Cool Whip!   Try this instead.

Fresh Whipped Cream (a guide, not a recipe)

1 pint (16 oz) heavy whipping cream

approximately 1 Tablespoon confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer, beat cream until light and fluffy.  Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract.  Beat until fully incorporated.

Spread a covering of whipped cream on the first layer of cake.  Top with sliced fresh fruit of your choice.  Place the second layer on top and repeat.  You should have a total of four layers.  

That's it for a shortcake!  As I mentioned, my favorite shortcake has only strawberries and cream.  I love the simplicity and the intensity of the strawberries in summer.   The addition of peaches and blueberries was nice, and it certainly made a bright, festive birthday cake.  Check out the damage!

The best way to eat this cake is very early in the morning, on a back porch with a cup of black coffee.  It's the best breakfast imaginable.